Match Report: The Churchill School vs Castle Hill
Final Score: The Churchill School 3-1 Castle Hill

The sun was shining as we got ready for our first Shepway Girls game, and before we even started warming up, the girls enjoyed a quick pre-match photo shoot ready for our social media posts!

With the photos done, we got the pitch set up and began our warm-up. Before long, we were ready to get the game underway. Olivia was our superstar and agreed to take the first stint in goal, giving the team the confidence to get started.

We started incredibly quickly, immediately pinning Castle Hill back into their own area. We created plenty of chances and had lots of shots, but Castle Hill defended extremely well and we just couldn't find the right angle to get that all-important first goal.

Poppy worked incredibly hard in midfield, constantly tracking back, winning the ball and then driving us forward. Alongside her, Bella, Freya and Lyla-Mai worked really well together, moving the ball around and creating opportunities. We had several efforts on goal, but somehow the ball just wouldn't find the back of the net.

Then came a Castle Hill counter-attack. They drove forward with the ball, moved it between their players and finished the attack with a goal to make it 1–0.

It didn't take long for us to respond.

Bella picked up the ball and drove forward, taking on multiple Castle Hill players before finishing an amazing run with a fantastic finish to make it 1–1. What a response!

At the other end, Nia and Lauren were fantastic at the back, keeping things tight and making some important tackles to stop Castle Hill from creating any more clear opportunities. Their work meant Olivia had very little to do in goal for large parts of the game.

We continued to press, and another excellent piece of link-up play saw Bella once again drive at the Castle Hill defence before finishing her chance to put Churchill 2–1 ahead. She was becoming unstoppable!

And it wasn't long before Bella completed her hat-trick. Another fine finish saw us move into a 3–1 lead, and the girls were absolutely flying.

It was a brilliant team performance, with everyone working hard to keep the ball moving forward and maintain the pressure on Castle Hill. Willow was excellent, working tirelessly for the team, running up the pitch to support the attacks while also tracking back and helping the defence with some super tackles.

Half-time came with the girls thoroughly deserving their break. We had a quick chat, changed our goalkeeper and took on some much-needed water before getting ready for the second half.

We started the second half just as quickly as we had started the first, carrying on the momentum and making it difficult for Castle Hill to play through us. Their few breaks forward were dealt with brilliantly by Olivia and Nia, who continued to make important tackles before looking to play the ball forward.

In midfield, Poppy continued to work tirelessly, running up and down the pitch and helping us move the ball from defence into attack. Lyla-Mai, Freya and Bella continued to work brilliantly as a unit, constantly putting Castle Hill under pressure and creating further chances.

We came close to adding to our lead on a couple of occasions, but Castle Hill's excellent defending prevented us from finding a fourth goal.

There was still time for one more big moment. With Castle Hill looking to get back into the game, Lyla-Mai made a fantastic save in goal, keeping the score at 3–1 and ensuring our lead remained secure. A super save at an important moment!

The final whistle eventually came, confirming a 3–1 victory for Churchill and a fantastic start to our first Shepway Girls game.

Overall, this was a brilliant team performance. The girls worked incredibly hard as a unit, supported each other, defended well, created plenty of chances and showed some excellent attacking football. Most importantly, they did it despite being a team that had played very little together before today.

A huge well done to every single girl who represented Churchill today. What a fantastic start!

And, as always, thank you to everyone who came along to support us. Your excellent support and encouragement from the side of the pitch really helped spur the girls on!