Captain hails the attackers as Panthers down Phoenix

The Guernsey side had earlier found themselves at the foot of Division Three after two opening losses against a pair of the league’s toughest sides.

A home win against Rushmoor Two got them off the mark for the season and they have now made it back-to-back wins by upsetting the second-placed team in the league to inject some real impetus into their campaign.

The Panthers got off to a flying start as Abbie Greening complemented Steph Batiste to form a strong shooting duo that made the most of their chances in the first quarter.

Defensively, the team worked well at the back, making numerous turnovers and putting pressure on the opposition.

Panthers lost their way slightly in attack through the second quarter as a few unforced errors and misplaced passes crept into play.

Phoenix took the opportunity to convert these mistakes with some excellent shooting by their goal-shooter, but the Panthers still retained their lead at the half-time whistle.

A few changes meant that Lorna Hall took over GD from Ella Staples, while WD Tiff Gervaise-Brazier and centre Nena Copperwaite switched roles.

The Panthers continued to work hard and entered the last quarter six goals up, subbing Ella Staples back on in GK to replace Zola Saunders.

Charlotte Hill had another fantastic game in her new WA position and linked well with both attackers, both of whom continued to find the net despite some hard defensive pressure from Phoenix.

All this meant that the Panthers had extended their lead to 10 by the final whistle.

This was more good news for captain Copperwaite as she received the opposition player of the match nomination and she hopes her side can continue to redeem their slow start to the season.

‘I’m really, really pleased – we knew it was going to be a really tough match,’ said Copperwaite.

‘I think we put out a really good performance and I’m really pleased with how our attack played – Abbie in particular was fantastic.

‘Confidence is quite high at the moment so that’s a good thing.

‘We just need to carry on training hard and keep doing what we’ve been working on.’

Panthers hope to extend this winning streak at home on Sunday 25 November against Sussex Lightning, who are one place ahead of them in the table.

Sussex NRG Pumas, who beat Panthers in the season opener, continue to lead the way with a perfect five-wins-from-five record.