LEEDS women hockey firsts had to settle for a draw against a spirited Nottingham side this week where it finished two apiece, in what was a rather heated encounter at Sports Park Weetwood.
The Gryphons were looking to better the 2-2 result last time these two teams met and were boosted by the return of star player Ellie McGrath who had recovered from an achilles injury. A debut was also given to new goalkeeper Izzy Friedlander, who had managed to shake off a bout of freshers’ flu in time to be selected for the 16-woman squad.
The first twenty minutes of the game were fairly equal, although Leeds struggled to find space out on the wings and were forced to play very much down the middle. It was the visitors who eventually broke the deadlock, when a Nottingham attack advanced all the way into Leeds’ ‘D’ where the Gryphons were suddenly caught napping. After a frantic scramble between forwards and defenders, the ball was gathered by a Nottingham’s centre-forward who whipped in from close range to put the visitors a goal up.
Leeds responded by charging down the left wing where they met an alert Nottingham defence. Indeed, it was Nottingham who looked the more comfortable side, mounting a counter-attack barely two minutes later. Friedlander watched as the ball was fired dangerously past her right-hand post, although it wasn’t long until she fantastically denied the visitors a second, blocking a close effort from a Nottingham attacker deep inside the D, before heroically getting down low to stop an outside flick from another during the same passage of play. Further scrappy defending ensued before the Gryphons managed to clear, finding space once again down the left wing through Emily Spencer. A pass from Hopkisson found Flo Epsin at the top right-hand side of the D and the forward wasted no time in firing the ball over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net. Leeds’ celebrations, however, were cut short after the umpire disallowed the goal and pitchside sources suggest that the shot was taken from outside the D. The Gryphons were not to be disheartened by the contentious decision and came back fighting – working the ball to the right from a long corner, before it was passed across the penalty area to find Spencer, who this time clinically finished to make it 1-1.
Leeds started brightly in the second half and had flicked ball saved within the first minute of the restart. Nottingham then attacked down the left, which saw a tussle between defender Louisa Highwood and her opposite number, with both players falling to the ground. Midfield play was fairly equal and disjointed, with numerous stick tackles and contact fouls disrupting the flow of the game. Hopkisson belted in a shot into the D, which was in turn pushed on by another forward before finding a Gryphon stick which slotted in to edge Leeds 2-1 in front.
With twenty minutes played, the umpires summoned each captain over and, according to pitchside sources, instructed both teams to tame their on-pitch language. The incident arguably disrupted the Gryphons’ rhythm and Nottingham exploited this, equalising from a well-worked short corner. The pace of the game quickened, despite both teams struggling to keep hold of any real possession, although Nottingham squandered a fantastic opportunity to win the game in the dying minutes, when a lifted ball flashed across the face of Leeds’ goal.
The Gryphons still go in search of their first BUCS win of the season and will be disappointed to have not clinched a victory. The composure that they showed, however, is one positive that they can take into their tough game away at Edinburgh next week.
Fiona Tomas
Featured image: Fiona Tomas