Ladies storm back from 0-2 to draw 3-3.

Petersfield Ladies played away to Winchester 3s on Saturday, facing the weather as well as the opposition.
Petersfield with only 10 players; of whom three were playing their debut match, felt the pressure as the whistle blew the game into action. Winchester were hard off the mark, immediately putting Petersfield under pressure and finding plenty of space around the pitch with a player overload. It wasn’t long before Winchester were making decisive attacking runs into the Petersfield half, forcing the town side back into their own D.
Within five minutes they had a flurry of attacks, working the Petersfield defenders hard and keeping the keeper on her toes. Their persistence paid off in the form of short corners. S-Todd running defensively for Petersfield picked off the receiving striker at the top of the D but the ball, deflected in the tackle, fell opportunistically for another Winchester attacker who found support on the back post beating the agile Jones in goal.
For the first 25 minutes the game carried on in a similar manner. Petersfield succumbing to wave upon wave of attack from the well drilled Winchester team. B.Jones and Walton protected the edge of the circle tirelessly, picking off attacking runners and feeding the ball out to Eames in the centre to ease the pressure. S-Todd provided a masterclass in channelling the left wingers, driving attackers into the corner and halting the potential for a crossed ball in. Despite the monumental effort from the defensive line-up Winchesters tenacity served them well and not long before the whistle blew to signal half time, they managed to find the back board once again.
At half time, the formation was altered and Petersfield set up on pitch with optimism. Easton moved back into a central role and Eames dropped in defensively. Alex O’Kelly who had tracked up and down the right side-line enduringly in the first half swapped with Walton in right defence. The alterations started to pay off as Petersfield soon found themselves camped out in the Winchester D and returned the favour. A.Leach wasted no time finding a foot in the D winning a short corner for Petersfield. A saved shot at goal deflected to R.Leach who neatly tucked it up into the right hand net. As Petersfield started to find their rhythm and link passages of play together A.Leach and Anna O’Kelly became a nightmare to defend against on the left wing. Switching the ball between each other and linking with Easton or Eames or R.Leach when needed to swing the ball back to the 25 and switch the attack. During one slick run around the base-line A.Leach slipped the ball under her should to Easton on the edge of the D. Easton finding space between defenders hit the ball to the back post where an ever opportunistic R.Leach flicked her stick onto the back post and tipped the ball in, evening the scores.
Winchester were next to score, breaking down the defence and inviting a foul in the Petersfield D. A well-executed pass around their attacking line-up found space behind the keeper and the scoreboard ticked over once more. 3-2.
Not to be deterred easily, Petersfield pushed the play high from the restart and played Winchester at their own game. A trailing defensive foot allowed Petersfield the chance to level the scores just before the final whistle. A.Leach injected to Anna O’Kelly waiting eagerly on the edge of the D. The ball slipped back to the base line and Leach deflected it across goal for Easton on P-spot. Stick to the floor the deflection bounced over the defenders stick on the post and the game was tied. A heroic effort from a mis-match team who endured the game a player short against a well drilled opposition. Sadly, the draw means Petersfield lose their top spot in the league as Poole have accumulated the greater goal difference, however both teams sit on 13 points.