South

White Eagles ladies 2

Okehampton ladies’

firsts 2

OKEHAMPTON ladies travelled to White Eagles at Tiverton looking for some points to secure their position in the league.

Good defending from both teams kept the game at deadlock initially, but Oke continued to pursue an early goal. The visitors went on the attack, with a speedy Molly Marvin driving the ball through the midfield with support from Lesley Bingham, resulting in a well earned penalty corner. Numerous shots on goal ensued, with Emily Rowlands playing excellent advantage to help the ball home and get Oke on the scoreboard.

Valiant defending from Oke could not prevent the Eagles equalising not long after but the game was still young, and vocal defenders Amanda Sim and Laura Parsons were undeterred by a hard hitting and physical Eagles’ front line.

A blocked Eagles strike was cleared to a waiting Sophie Whiteley, who swept the ball to Jo Moppet in midfield, before passing to  perfectly positioned Anna Speak on the wing. The two worked together to force a save from the Eagles keeper, before Speak fired the ball in the back of the net to put Oke in the lead with 2-1 at half time.

After the break the opposition made increasingly desperate and numerous attacks on goal. Keeper Alice Wiseman made a trio of high pressure saves to keep her goal clear. Nicky Pedrick sent the ball out wide to Sophia Marshall, who used her speed to drive up the left wing to a waiting Hannah Whiteley; however, the Oke side were unable to get through the Eagles defence.

Ultimately, even great defending from Sophie Whiteley was unable to prevent Eagles equalising for a second time, but Okehampton were happy to pick up a crucial point away against the above placed side.