The ladies 2s welcomed Tunbridge Wells for their final game of the season knowing that they had to get a result to secure their position in the league and not have to rely on other results going their way to avoid rel-egation.
Ops started at a high tempo, pressing the Wells players and forcing them into making errors to turn the ball over. In possession Ops produced good ball speed with lots of movement off the ball to create space for the midfield and forward lines to attack. Laurel Fry was a constant threat across the pitch with her jinking skills tormenting the Wells defence and going close early in the half. When Wells did break into the Ops half, cap-tain Adrienne Rowe and defender Sophie Rumsey held the middle of the pitch, forcing the Wells attackers wide where they were dealt with by Hannah Jones and Charlotte Rawlins. After successfully defending a series of short corners Allegra Hopkinson picked up the ball wide, played it inside to Isla Gallagher who beat the Wells players around her to release Evie Little. Little drove at the D, unleashing a strike on goal that was coolly deflected in by Becca Shaw who made a perfectly timed run in front of the Wells keeper to give Ops the half time lead.
Coaches Danny Tomlinson & Will Mead re-focussed the team with their half time team talk, getting them ready to face their most important half of hockey of the season.
Wells came out strongly in the second half, looking to get themselves back in the game but Ops were not going to back down. Although Ops were facing continued pressure from the start they did have their own chances again, this time with Izzy Timmins going close after wriggling her way through the Wells defence. Wells attacks continued to come with keeper Amy Bumstead making a series of reaction saves to keep Ops in the lead. The Wells pressure eventually found fruit and won a string of short corners with one finally mak-ing it’s way in after the first and second strikes were saved. Ops went straight up the other end, winning a short corner of their own. After some scrambled defending to cut out the combination of Rowe and Fry the ball hit a foot on the line and a penalty flick awarded. Up stepped Erin Fuller who was unlucky to save her stroke saved by the outstretched hand on the Wells keeper. With the clock running down it was all about game management for Ops, keeping hold of the ball and not giving Wells any opportunities. Hearts were in mouths when Wells won a short corner on the stroke of full time but Ops again defended resolutely to keep the ball out.
The hard work and determination from the team paid off with the girls holding out for a well deserved draw to secure their place in the league for next season.