The Riser girls started the match as they ended the derby the week previously, full of energy and verve, and on the attack. From the first minute, they were camped inside Faversham’s half. Marcie C was causing havoc with her darting runs and burgeoning skills, a highlight being a drag-back which won an early corner. Unlike last week, Risers were soon able to make the pressure tell, with Kaci-Lei shooting across the keeper from just inside the six-yard box and finding the bottom left-hand corner. This was the first of four goals on the day for the prolific Kaci-Lei, including a nerveless penalty.
From then on it was clear that this was going to be a one-sided match, with three goals coming in short succession, including a quick brace from Polly - one of which being a sublime chip over the keeper. Fuelled by her morning pancakes, she went on to complete her hat-trick in the second half – a perfect early birthday present!
A quarter of the way through the match, Risers swapped keepers in an attempt to balance the teams, with Marcie C going in goal after a fine performance with the gloves the week before. Ruby made the most of her extra time on pitch, with two well-taken goals.
Risers changed the team around for the second half to give players a chance to try out different positions. Marcie M immediately made the most of the rare opportunity to leave her own half. Within a minute of being given permission to move up the pitch, she had collected the ball on the half-way line, proceeding to go on a weaving run past three defenders, before completing a great solo effort with a calm left-footed finish – her first goal of the season.
The Faversham defenders showed good skills, moving the ball well and always trying to push forward. They were resilient and had it not been for lockdown they would have had much more match experience to bring to their first ever league season.
It’s not easy playing in such a one-sided game but, as always, the Riser girls were very considerate of the other team, taking care to mute their celebrations whenever they scored. Instead, they used the opportunity to play with more freedom; passing the ball around in defence and cultivating some lovely moves from the back, notably with Aaliyah finding some good positions and going on a number of powerful runs, demonstrating how her confidence is growing by the week. Larissa managed to bag her first goal of the season with a good assist from Marcie M, while Izzy was also showing her attacking instincts when given the chance to play in a forward position. Amelia and Libby were determined, always closing down to deny Faversham any space with the ball. Ela again cemented her midfield position, with a beautifully struck goal from a fair distance just before the close.
Richard M
