Hockey Team News – September 2023
The hockey season is in full swing, having had an amazing first week of matches, week commencing 18 September, setting us up for a busy term. Four of our Junior teams (Years 7 and 8) played away matches against Royal Hospital School and our U14A and B teams faced Finborough. It was a pretty impressive start too, winning five out of six matches, scoring 29 goals and conceding only eight!
Well done to two hattrick heroes of the week, Year 7’s India J for the Junior 1st team, and Year 9’s Amelia for the U14B team.
Woodbridge Junior 1 vs RHS
Report by Team Coach Mrs Rix
The Junior 1st team played their part in a very exciting first fixture of the term. Woodbridge outshone their opponents from a tactical and technical point of view in the first half, scoringa three goals without reply – two by Year 7’s India J, and one by Year 8’s Amelie. New players into the team learned super-fast and with a disciplined zonal pressed, they kept RHS camped in their half. The opening 20 minutes was by no means one-sided though, and Player of the Match, Year 8’s Bay made telling saves in goal to deny RHS any joy (and continued to do so in the second half to make sure we hold on to the win). Half time saw the team regroup and reset their targets to start from scratch and manage the match in a professional manner. They did just this as RHS came back strong to score three goals. However, they never came level with Woodbridge as the lead was kept at a distance through a third goal for Year 7’s India. A superb all-round performance by every member of the team.
Woodbridge Junior 2 vs RHS
Match report by Team Coach Mrs Johnson
A sound performance from the Junior 2 team with lots learned during the match, saw them beaten 1-4 in their first game of the season. Excellent forward play from Year 7’s Jasmine (who scored a cracking goal!), Year 7’s Alexandra and Year 8’s Charlie, showed what this team is capable of. Onwards with all the positivity! Thanks to all the parents who came to support.
Woodbridge Junior 3 vs RHS
Report by Team coach Miss Hinton
The first match for the Junior 3 team was a huge success with excellent teamwork across the group and a veritable goal fest spread across six players. We didn’t allow the RHS players to get out of defence, showing brilliant determination to win the ball back high up the pitch and shoot at goal with every opportunity. The passing between players was also a highlight and some textbook hockey saw attacks come from all corners, our defenders also getting in on the act. The final score was 7-0 with goals coming from Year 7’s Kirsty, Evie, Imogen and Rebecca, Year 8’s Eirann and Grace. A very promising start to the season for a determined group.
Woodbridge Junior 4 vs RHS
Match report by Team Coach Miss Sanders
A strong start to the season for the Junior 4a team, with superb team effort by all which resulted in us coming away with a 7-0 win. The team should be proud of their tenacity and determination on the pitch; fighting for and chasing down every ball and never giving up, along with working hard to convert every pass or rebound into a goal. Well done! A brace of goals were scored by Year 7’s Imogen and Year 8’s Marina, and one each by Year 8’s Alice, Georgia and Isabel. Well done to Marina for being named Player of the Match.
Woodbridge U14A vs Finborough
Match report by Team Coach Mr Brous
The U14A team played their first full pitch match game away to Finborough. They quicky learnt their new roles and positions and began to really coordinate well. The midfield controlled the game and when we played simple 2-touch hockey, we quickly began to dominate. Shot after shot was made, and we got our first goal five minutes in to settle our nerves.
It took a while to get the second goal, and our defences were breached a couple of times. However, after a few saves and defensive scrambling, we gained control of the game again. We scored off two excellently worked short corners, both scored by Year 9’s Eve, putting the game beyond reach. For brief periods in the second half, fitness told and we relaxed for a second, allowing the opposition to score. However, we were soon back on our game and in control of the match, running out 5-1 winners in the end with Year 9’s Amelie scoring two of those goals and Year 9’s Frankie the other. I must congratulate the whole team, as everyone put in a superb performance.
The opposition’s player of the match was Sophie. I must also mention the defence for stopping most of the opposition attack before it reached the D, the mid-field for their continuous hard work and also particularly our co-captains, Eve and Georgia, for their control of the mid-field, which allowed the rest of the team to play a superb game. I would nominate the whole team as player of the match for the quality of hockey played, especially given the new format of the game. I am really excited for the remainder of the season!
Woodbridge U14B vs Finborough
Match report by team coach Miss Sanders
What a first match of the season for the U14B team! From the starting whistle, the team played with superb grit and determination; tackling the opposition and pressurising their passing by tracking back, not forgetting to mention excellent goal keeping from Year 9’s Emma, particularly in the second half. Our defending play was superb and attacking play strong, with the girls passing being powerful and our shots on goal, accurate. Unfortunately, we could not convert a number of our shots, but our forwards kept trying hard and Year 9’s Amelia managed to convert three to score a hattrick! Well done! Amelia took Player of the Match. We look forward to our next match against Greshams.
