RAPHOE HOCKEY CLUB 1ST XI Ladies enjoyed a 3-1 home win when they took on Larne at the Royal and Prior School on Saturday.
Raphoe 1st Ladies 3-1 Larne
Raphoe broke the deadlock 10 minutes into the first half, when captain Rachel Buchanan made a run from midfield to receive a pass from Esther Hume on the left of the field, who placed a direct pass into D, where Buchanan controlled the ball brilliantly and rounded the keeper.
The away team didn’t back down, keeping pressure on the home team’s defence. They got awarded a long corner, which they switched to their left forward who passed it onto a running player, to pick it up on the penalty spot.
This followed with a scramble on the line where Denise McElhinney, Raphoe’s keeper, made a last minute dive to clear the ball with her foot where her sweeper Sabrina Barrnett cleared to Esther Hume to send Raphoe on a counter attack.
Although Raphoe where on top for most of the first half, they couldn’t convert their chances into goals.
The second half started with Larne coming out strong, forcing pressure on Raphoe;s defence, which resulted in them scoring in the first 10 minutes of the last half.
The ball was played down the centre, which drew in Raphoe’s defence. Larne smartly played the ball out right and put a well placed pass across the D to a fellow team mate who netted it into the back post.
Raphoe’s coach Richard Tinney changed things up for the second half pressing high with a 4-3-3 formation.
This opened the game up, truly making it entertaining. It was a great battle and contest between the both teams having their own chances.
Raphoe went in front again, with a swift move down the right where centre-half Victoria Wray found Buchanan wide on the right to slip it onto Leanne Patterson.
She sliced Larne’s defence open with an exquisite pass to find Kimberly Porter. And she used all her experience to calmly slot the pass through the Larne ‘keeper and into the net.
Raphoe kept their momentum. A third goal came from a side line balled played by Sarah Boal to pick out Leanne Patterson in the centre of the pitch that was switched to the outside of the D, where Sarah Patterson again found Kimberly Patterson awaiting on the penalty spot to ping the ball into the back of the net. Sabrina Barnett got player of the match.
Raphoe take on Rainey next Friday night, February 19.
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