Brent 2-0 West Kent
Surrey Schools’ FA, U11 Girls League, 5th November 2016
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The undefeated Brent U11 Girls squad hosted Surrey Schools FA League leaders West Kent, a week after earning a deserved 3-0 win against the same opposition. West Kent were determined and looking for revenge as they had the better chances of what was a closely fought opening ten minutes. The hosts were forced into some heroic defending and were helped by Brent’s ‘keeper, Lauren Thompson, making an outstanding diving save.
Having weathered the early storm, the home team struck back superbly. Still on a high after her brace last week, Shakira Kafero-Roberts once again showed her brilliance, taking on three defenders on the edge of the box after a perfect lay off by Katie Angell, and powered the ball into the net after twelve minutes to give Brent a crucial lead. The rest of the half remained even and ended 1-0 with few further chances created.
The second half was a lot more open, but both team’s defences remained resilient. For Brent, Caitlin Finnerty was outstanding in midfield, throwing her body in front of everything and setting up counter attacks at every opportunity. Both teams saw good chances squandered and in the final minute Kafero-Roberts again demonstrated the extra quality needed in a tight match. After a number of crucial blocks on the edge of Brent’s box, Kafero-Roberts picked up the ball in her own half, ran the length of the pitch to the corner flag and used her body to shield off two defenders before squaring the ball for Nicole Njoku to score her fifth of the season and crucially Brent’s second to make the final score 2-0 to Brent to end a high quality and exhilarating match. Brent are now top of the table with just three matches left in this five-team competition.
Coaches Joe Khalfi and Ronan O’Rourke said, “This is one of the best all-round performances we have ever seen. Ourselves, the opposition, referee and spectators were so impressed with what we saw from both teams. These girls are doing women’s football a huge credit!”
Player of the match: Caitlin Finnerty
Team: Lauren Thompson (Malorees), Nicole Njoku (St Joseph’s), Nia Bowman (Sudbury), Caitlin Finnerty (St Robert Southwell), Katie Angell (Byron Court), Shakira Kafero-Roberts, Maya Pilkington (Salisbury), Donica Torraj(Mora).