Under 12 Maroon vs Hythe & Dibden Youth Caracals

U12 Division 1

Today our U12 Maroon team welcomed Hythe to our home venue for what proved to be an incredibly entertaining and competitive encounter. While the final scoreline suggests a tough day, it truly did not do the girls justice. Despite the defeat, the girls produced some of the most cohesive and exciting football we have seen from them all season.

The first half was arguably the best performance this group has delivered to date. From the opening whistle, we dictated the tempo, moving the ball with speed and confidence. We were splitting the opposition defence within seconds of the start, using our pace and vision to carve out opportunities at will. In a dominant opening ten minutes, we could easily have been four goals ahead.

Our pressure finally told when the midfield combined brilliantly to slide a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Ava H, who stayed composed to fire a low, clinical shot past the goalkeeper. This goal sparked even more confidence, and we continued to control possession while hunting for a second. Defensively, we were rarely troubled for much of the half, but a single lapse in concentration allowed the opposition a rare sight of goal, which they took well. Heading into the break at 1–1 felt incredibly harsh given the sheer quality of our play.

The second half presented a different challenge as Hythe returned with renewed energy. As the game progressed, our concentration levels dipped slightly, and small defensive errors began to creep in. By not closing down shots quickly enough and occasionally losing track of runners, we allowed the opposition to capitalise and pull ahead.

By the final whistle, the 4–1 scoreline felt unrepresentative of a game where we had shown such dominance for large periods. However, this performance proved that we are rapidly reaching the level this group is capable of. The next step in our journey is finding the consistency to apply that high-level quality across the full 60 minutes.

A special mention goes to our Player of the Match, Ava H. Ava caused the opposition defence endless problems all morning and scored our goal with a fantastic finish. Beyond her scoring threat, her link-up play was essential in bringing our wide players into the attack, while her relentless work rate and strength off the ball kept the opposition under constant pressure. A truly fantastic performance from a player who continues to grow in importance for the team.