Isle of Wight Ladies’ 2XI had a phenomenal game at Gosport on Saturday (19th November), dominating the match and scoring 12 goals.
Goal highlights included an overhead slap of the ball into goal by Dee Sanchez-Brown from a lifted deflection, plus breakaway attacks from Megan Bridger and Anya Clarke. A solo run from Bridger inside the island’s half drew the keeper from goal, allowing her to calmly slip the ball for Clarke to slot home.
Full time: Gosport 0-12 Isle of Wight ladies 2XI
Goals: Dee Sanchez-Brown (4), Anya Clarke (3), Aly Townend (1), Megan Bridger (1), Evie Longson (1), Sophie Parkhouse (1) and Coral Arrowsmith (1).
Wightlink player of the match: Evie Longson
The ladies 1XI fought hard against Southampton University and, despite some beautiful play, came off on the wrong side of the score line.
Isle of Wight Men’s 1XI 7-2 Havant
The Men’s 1XI came up against Havant at Smallbrook.
The opposition got their 1st goal early, but from then on, the game was controlled by the home side. Samuel Challis was first to score for the Island, lobbing the ball over the keeper, off the crossbar, for it to end up left corner.
Keeping pressure in the opposition’s D, Adam Payne drove the ball into the D from a long corner and struck the ball into the back of the net.
Havant had their fair share of attacks, but the ball was quickly overturned by the midfield work of Rueben-Smallwood Butler, Henry Edwards, and Challis and fed back to the forwards. This allowed them to get their third after Payne drove the ball down the baseline and slipped it back to the top of the D for Tom Turney to push into the backboard.
Havant’s defence was continuously called into action as tactical play won the island a short corner. Elliot Cole injected the ball for Aaron O’Hanlon-Hoare to drag-flick straight at goal. His attempt was well-read and thwarted by Havant’s keeper.
The island won more short corners but were unable to score as Havant dug deep, won the ball, and pressed down the right. Their attack was cut-off by Lewis Heaven-Gandy, who fed the ball up to Challis, whose solo efforts against the defence paid off with a long corner awarded. Havant retook possession but the island’s press forced them to play possession around their back line, waiting for an opening to their attackers. It didn’t happen and possession overturned, Payne took the keeper on a wander from their goal. His reverse shot attempt failed, and the ball looked to be going wide, but Heaven-Gandy backed up Payne’s attack and slotted the ball into goal.
Havant hit back in the 2nd half and won short corners of their own and were able to add one more goal to their tally.
The island’s attacking momentum also continued. The midfield fired a ball up to Turney who let it come across him in the D, then slipped it back to the p-spot for Payne to score from. After some nice interplay, the scoring ended after Payne added one more to the island’s tally.
Goals: Adam Payne (3), Aaron O’Hanlon-Hoare (1), Samuel Challis (1), Lewis Heaven-Gandy (1) and Tom Turney (1)
Wightlink player of the match: Aaron O’Hanlon-Hoare.
Basingstoke 3-4 Isle of Wight Men’s 2XI
The Isle of Wight Men’s 2XI team retained their position at the top of the table with a hard-fought win away against Basingstoke.
The game began with end-to-end opportunities for both sides. Great build up play between Nathan Bruce, Finn Woodford and Tom Young ended with a reverse sweep at the top of the D by Stephen Woodford to open the score.
John Peatfield, Steven Holbrook, Toby Noyes, and Ash Metcalfe but their bodies on the line and soaked up the opposition attacks. Keeper Lewis Wells blocked almost everything else, but Basingstoke’s pressure paid off and one well struck shot found its way in.
It was 1-1 at halftime, and a rousing captain’s talk from Mike Dodds fuelled the island in the 2nd half. Woodford S made no mistake in volleying the rebound ball into goal, after Dodd’s initial strike was saved.
Carl Joyce then doubled the lead and delivered a bullet shot into the bottom corner.
The island enjoyed a period of possessional play and sustained attack. Notable interceptions from Holbrook and Bailey Woodford helped launch attack after attack. Woodford F made the most of one, sweeping home to maintain a record of scoring in every game he has played in this season.
Bruce was unluck not to add to his tally with some great build up play. Basingstoke scored twice more to keep the battle close as the game drew to a close.
Goals: Stephen Woodford (2), Finn Woodford (1) and Carl Joyce (1).
Wightlink player of the match: Stephen Woodford.️
