Ascot 2:11 QPR Ladies Reserves
The QPR Ladies Reserves put in another driven performance away to Ascot to secure their second victory of the season with a resounding 11:2 victory.
We should have been in the lead in the first-half, but fell behind only for Allana Ashmeil to dig us out of jail and put us 2-1 up. Ascott got back on level terms though after we gave away another sloppy goal and it took that to really wake us up and take control of the game.
Katie Smith scored with a terrific looping shot to restore our lead and then Anita Afonso scored with a lovely strike before Allana sealed a first-half hat-trick to take us into half-time at 5-2. In the second-period we dominated from the outset and it was mainly one-way traffic. Allana grabbed another three goals, taking her tally to a double hat-trick, Jade Bowley got a brace and Scarlett Hanharan netted as well.
I was delighted that the entire midfield got on the scoresheet. It’s important the goals are spread and shared around as it breeds confidence and means we can rely on many different players and areas of the side to score goals. We know we won’t win like this every week.
As for the match, well, I thought we were a little bit scrappy at times, but we did play the better football and when we did get it down and tried to work it we played some nice stuff and caused Ascot all sorts of problems. The midfield bossed the game from start to finish and in the second-half really orchestrated the play and created plenty of chances for our strikers.
I was pleased with us defensively too. Although we conceded two relatively cheap goals, we had a number of players playing out of their natural positions so we can be pleased how they worked as a unit. They also kept a clean sheet in the second-half which for me was a plus and they couldn’t have done much more in the circumstances.
Despite the scoreline, there’s still lots for us to work on and we’re not kidding ourselves as we’re still blending as a team and learning about each others games. We had another couple of debutants out there too, so with that in mind, we’re doing well and are on the right track and it’s exciting to think what they could achieve if we continue working hard on the training pitch as we’re making good strides forward.
Overall, it’s a fantastic achievement to hit double figures for the second time in a row and the players know they are setting themselves very high standards that they need to maintain on a regular basis. They can be very proud of there work here though as it was another top win and remarkable scoreline.
Team: Syan Armstrong, Alex Lupano, Stephanie Lupano, Kelley Bloomquist, Melanie Randall, Jade Bowley, Katie Smith, Scarlett Hanrahan, Anita Afonso, Chloe Julien and Allana Ashmeil
Goals: Ashmeil 6, Smith, Afonso, Bowley 2 and Hanrahan
