Match Report: 2nd Team Show Big Improvement Against Stirling 1s
On the 21st September, the 2nd team travelled away to Stirling 1st team in their first ever Division 1 game. The 2s gave their all but the difference in experience in top flight football was clear when Stirling came away with a 10-0 victory. Six weeks later and it was Stirling's turn to make the trip down to Edinburgh where the 2s had a lot to prove.
Edinburgh set up in a new formation and with some players playing out of their usual positions and were keen and ready to go at the first whistle. The game started quietly with Stirling have the majority of possession but not challenging Edinburgh keeper Katrina Buckle. Eventually though Stirling picked their game up and Edinburgh had to with stand long spells of heavy pressure whilst doing their best to break on the counter attack. Time went on and on but still Stirling couldn't break down the 2nd team who defended fantastically. The referee then blew the half-time whistle with the score at 0-0, already a small victory for the 2nd team who were 5-0 down at that stage in their previous encounter.
The second half started similarly to how the first half ended and the 2nd team continued to defend magnificently with Katrina Buckle making some fantastic last-gasp saves. Stirling were becoming frustrated as more time went on and still they couldn't score. After 65 minutes of heavy pressure from Stirling and defending with everything they had, unfortunately Edinburgh finally conceded to a good strike from the Stirling attack. The next 15 minutes saw Edinburgh heads drop momentarily which allowed Stirling to score another 3, including a fortunate penalty, to make it 0-4. Edinburgh picked it back up for the closing 10 minutes with some more brilliant blocks, terrific tackles and super saves, with Stirling only able to score one more. This left the score line at 0-5 at the final whistle.
Halfing their goals conceded compared to the last time they played Stirling, Edinburgh 2nd team showed everybody just how much they've improved already this season and why they shouldn't be underestimated. Every player gave 110% and put their bodies on the line to defend against very difficult opposition. They now have a week off before heading away to play Robert Gordon University in a must-win game if they are to avoid relegation and stay in the 1st Division again next season. Player of the match went to Katrina Buckle who denied Stirling a number of times to keep the score level for so long and commanded her area excellently.
