The first match of the season saw us head down the M20 to face Ashford. We started brightly, enjoying the lion’s share of possession, but struggled to convert our chances. Ashford punished us on the break, with some strong runners up front, to go 2–1 up against the run of play.

During the breaks we talked about controlling the game, keeping our composure, and finding ways to “empty net” and make our chances count. The team put this into practice brilliantly as the game went on.

Our defence, marshalled superbly by Isobel in goal and Sylvie (replete with shiny new mouthguard) at the back, shut Ashford out from that point on. Liv was as resolute as ever at left back despite feeling under the weather and Tilly made a fantastic last ditch cover tackle to deny their centre forward through on goal when we were still down 2-1.

We powered to a 5-2 victory with Ruby controlling her area of the pitch, Trixie and Jess making surges forward down the flanks, Victoria showing intelligence to pick good options, and Bea making some fantastic runs to exploit gaps down the left.

Following goals from Maddie, who led our front line well, and Fran, Millie went on to score a hat trick as we turned the match on its head.

Player of the Match: Fran activated fire mode, causing problems throughout and capping her performance with a stunning solo effort – driving into the D before smashing a rocket into the bottom corner!

Special mentions also go to:
- Annabel (capt) who bossed the game from the back despite nursing a bad knee
- Millie for her outstanding hat-trick
- Our debutants Bea, Jess, Trixie and Victoria, who each settled in seamlessly and contributed strongly.

And, the lighter side of the day: all the impromptu sweaty shin-pad swapping at the end of each quarter - an unusual but amusing team-building activity!

There may be tougher games to come but this was a fantastic start to the season! Well done to all the girls, and thank you to the travelling parents for the support.