Clinical Indies complete the domestic double
THE champions made it a double on Saturday.
A predictably hard-fought Women’s Cup final came down to the more ruthless nature of Indies Ladies in front of goal at Footes Lane as the cutting edge provided by their Island players proved decisive against a strong Puffins outfit in a 3-1 victory.
Unsurprisingly, the league winners’ prolific co-captain Tash Symes was among the goals once again, adding two more to her season’s tally to give her side the advantage at the interval, before she turned provider in the second half for the trophy-sealing third expertly finished off by her Guernsey teammate Teya Sheppard.
It was far from one-way traffic with Puffins always posing a threat, but their inability to capitalise on several second-half short-corners proved costly.
Rather than suffering from any nerves in front of a good crowd, Indies began with the confidence of champions and they called Puffins goalkeeper Emma Atkinson into action inside two minutes after Symes and Pip Queripel had sprung a swift counter-attack.
A couple of minutes later, Queripel was again denied by Atkinson as Indies pressed for an opener and on 7min. Puffins’ first attack of note almost ended in a goal at the other end as the champions broke quickly from defending the opposition’s first short-corner but some good defending from Alice Davis and Kelley Spurrier kept them at bay.
In keeping with the general run of play, when the deadlock was broken midway through the first half, it was Indies who took the lead.
It came from another short-corner, with Symes’ strike having enough top spin on it to take it past Atkinson’s shin and into the boards.
The goal spurred Puffins into moving through the gears.
Within a couple of minutes they had put together their best move of the opening 20 with Mix Byrom, Lucy Waldrom, Helen Watson and Bex Hubbard all involved before Indies goalkeeper Genevieve Swainston made a vital interception just as the ball looked destined for Liza Sayer at the far post, and shortly afterwards Katherine Bushell went close with a short-corner strike.
The yellows did not have long to wait for an equaliser, though, as on 24min. Bushell played the ball goalwards and Hubbard, who had her back to goal, managed to get enough on her improvised shot to take it past Swainston and it crawled over the goal-line at snail’s pace.
Puffins then went close to taking the lead in similar fashion, but Hubbard was unable to repeat the trick, and instead it was Indies who forged ahead once more before half-time thanks to a quality goal.
Jan Courtney picked out Emily Griggs with an excellent pass down the right-hand side and the winger cut into the D before teeing up Symes, who scored at the second attempt after her first effort was blocked.
The cushion very nearly became two in the opening minute of the second half but Atkinson made an outstanding save low to her right to deny Sheppard, who had been picked out by Queripel’s fine pass.
Puffins then went in search of a second equaliser with one mazy Megan Thomas run resulting in a short that was not converted, while Harriet Savident made an important block as Wilmari Smit shot.
Waldrom also had a effort on the reverse deflected wide as Indies weathered a storm.
As the game entered the final quarter, the team in orange stuck the decisive blow.
Just moments after Symes deflected Courtney’s driven ball into the D just the wrong side of the post, the co-captain picked out the run of Sheppard who showed terrific composure to slip her finish past the out-rushing Atkinson and into the bottom corner.
Puffins did not let their head drop and in the last 10 minutes they won five more short-corners, but a mixture of brave defending and a miscue or two meant they were unable to force a grandstand finish, leaving Indies to celebrate another trophy in their cabinet.
