Womens 1 Vs Dereham 1

A poor start from Saints, they conceded possession and allowed an early incursion into the circle by Dereham - and within the first couple of minutes Saints found themselves trailing. An unsettled Saints subsequently needed to successfully defend a series of home penalty corners. As Saints settled in to the game, they began to trouble the home side – Captain Emma Ritchie`s effort landed on the roof of the net and Kelly Bingham was narrowly wide from Saints first penalty corner.

Encouraged by this, Saints took the game to Dereham from the beginning of the second half. The equaliser came through Kirsty McKenzie as she expertly turned the ball home. Saints were now on top and an away victory looked possible. A second goal didn`t come and Dereham responded - in the final minutes they pushed forward with intent. A spirited and determined Saints display ended with Saints bravely defending Dereham penalty corners - to secure a hard-earned away point and maintain their unbeaten start to 2018. Player of the match honours could have gone to a number of strong candidates, but Lisa Gibbie took the honours for her terrific defensive display.

Next week Saints are back at home when they face Colchester,1pm at Longsands.