The University of East London women’s hockey team suffered a 1-0 loss on Wednesday at the hands of King’s College London 5th (GKT) at the Honor Oak Park, in their third away match of the 2018/19 season.
Prior Feats
Despite a 3-0 loss to GKT last November and the absence of UEL women’s hockey captain, Laura Pakenham due to injury, the Blues were optimistic going into the game after last week’s win against University of Hertfordshire women’s 2nd earned them a crucial three points.
The East Londoners were also able to field a full team of 11 players, despite some difficulties to fill a full squad in away games this season.
Before the game, UEL decided to focus their attention on defence after fighting off GKT’s strong attacking side last winter.
Sluggish Start
The game started off strong for GKT, as they managed to keep possession of the ball and add pressure on UEL’s defence to maintain the ball in the D.
Several shots by GKT were blocked by UEL’s defence. However, a brief moment of interference led to GKT taking advantage of the rebound from the goal post and shooting into the back of the goal, taking the score up to 1-0.
GKT had the psychological edge of playing on home turf, with coaches on the side-lines giving guidance throughout the match.
In spite of GKT’s lead, UEL retained momentum to prevent GKT increasing their lead with the assurance of spectators, including members of the UEL men’s hockey team who shouted words of encouragement from the side-lines. However, the Blues failed to equalise in the first half.
Tactics and reassuring words were conversed during a short interval, which helped boost morale going into the second half of the match.
Fighting Till Dawn
The pep talk worked as the Blues were able to gain possession of the ball in the second half and challenge GKT’s defence in the D, with several attempts to score.
A flying ball to the forehead of UEL defensive, Millie Cawley near the end of the match led to UEL being left with 10 players on the pitch, as Cawley came off to receive medical attention – but returned shortly to finish the match.
Although UEL’s efforts to score fell short, the Blues’ defence barred GKT from furthering their lead.
Optimistic End
UEL were unable to level the score, with the match ending in a 1-0 win to GKT. Nevertheless, the match was seen as progressive compared to last November’s loss to GKT, as UEL were able to decrease the goal difference this time around.
Speaking to Rising East of the loss, Cerys Gravell who served as captain in Pakenham’s absence expressed uncertainties going into the game due to missing key players “We weren’t sure how it was going to go because Laura wasn’t here who’s normally our captain, and we were missing a couple of other players”.
She then went on to praise the efforts of the team, stating “I thought it was a good match, we’ve been playing quite well recently. I thought we worked well together and there’s a few things we can take forward into the next game.”
Next Week’s Nail-Biter
UEL currently sit 4th on the South Eastern 4B division, with two more fixtures lined up before the end of the season. Their next match against Royal Veterinary 2nd on home turf at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre will undoubtedly be full of suspense, as a loss could mean a relegation battle between the Blues and bottom leaguers, University Hertfordshire 2nd.
