ISFA U18 GIRLS CUP - LATEST NEWS

ACS COBHAM WIN THIRD TITLE

ACS Cobham won the ISFA U18 Girls Cup for the third time when they defeated the reigning champions, Stamford High School, in the Final at Staines Town FC, the home of Chelsea Ladies, which proved a fine venue with an excellent playing surface.

Stamford started positively and might have scored in an early goalmouth scramble.  However, it did not take long for Cobham to settle and they went ahead after 6 minutes when excellent work by Simone Serrano set up Alice D'Aboville to score and they might have made it two when Christine Stuart’s fine run ended with her shot hitting the post.

Serrano hit the crossbar in the opening minutes of the second half and Cobham continued to dominate but they come up against a stubborn Stamford defence with Charlotte Brooks in particularly fine form in goal.  Stamford seldom threatened the Cobham goal but, at just 1-0, there was always tension and the final whistle prompted scenes of delight.

Cobham captain Sophie Montgomery was presented with the Cup by a particularly distinguished guest in Kelly Simmonds, Head of the National Game at The Football Association, accompanied by the Chair of ISFA’s Girls Section, Susannah Abbott.

All photographs of the Final below are courtesy of RWT Photography. These and other photographs of the match and the post-match presentations, along with the match DVD, can be ordered from www.rwt-photography.co.uk or by ringing 01733 204445.

SEMI-FINAL HIGHLIGHTS

Despite some very difficult conditions, including two hail storms, Welbeck Defence College and Stamford High School played out an enjoyable contest with two teams willing to go forward straight from the start.  Sarah Bloomer broke the deadlock for Stamford after 10 minutes when she latched onto a through ball from Abbie Brewin, who herself doubled the visitors' lead from close range before adding a third goal just before half-time.  The second half saw Stamford firmly in control and despite a couple of good saves from Elle Bloor and some stiff resistance from Hannah Parker, Hannah Brewis and Abbie Brewin added three more goals for Stamford.  Welbeck never gave up and were almost rewarded for their efforts in the last five minutes but unfortunately the ball hit the post.

The match between St. Clare's and ACS Cobham was played on a 3G surface in bitterly cold conditions.  Cobham started strongly and pinned St.Clare's in and around their penalty area in the first fifteen minutes and created numerous chances.  The first goal was a scrappy affair when the St. Clare's keeper lost the ball on the ground and Alice D'Aboville pounced to score.  It was clear that the Cobham side was far stronger but St. Clare's competed for every ball and showed great spirit throughout the match.  Chrissie Stuart, who was a real threat every time she was on the ball, scored twice before the break to put Cobham firmly in control. Cobham added four more in the second half, the standout goal being the fifth when Alice D'Aboville met a leftwing cross first time with a thunderous drive.  Chrissie Stuart added two more to her match tally and Simone Sodano rounded off the scoring in the last minute.  For Cobham Bernice Mitchener had a fine game on the wing and Julie Osen was dominant in the midfield, instigating many of the moves by cleverly switching the play.  The match was played in an excellent spirit and both teams were happy to escape to the warmth of the changing rooms after the final whistle.

SECOND ROUND HIGHLIGHTS

Welbeck Defence College showed the early promise against Repton with Manveet Dhaliwal testing the keeper early on. Katie Scott opened the scoring with a looping shot from the left which the Repton keeper was unable to keep out.  Dhaliwal extended the lead before half time as Welbeck were able to keep possession and show their dominance.  There was no further score in the second half as the Repton keeper made many fine saves keeping the Welbeck strikers at bay and the game finished 2-0.   This was an excellent team performance by Welbeck, with their defence ably led by captain Hannah Parker.

The match between St. Bede’s and ACS Cobham went ahead thanks to the herculean efforts of the St. Bedes ground staff and both two teams excelled in a magnificent match. Cobham went ahead early when Bernice Mitchener wrong footed the St. Bedes keeper Sophie Rudge. However, the impressive Rudge then produced a string of fine saves to keep her side in the contest. Her opposite keeper, Scarlett Lamb then produced an outstanding save from a long range pile driver from Georgia Tibble. Immediately after this Chrissie Stuart raced through to put Cobham two up and seemingly in control. However, St. Bedes were reinvigorated in the second half and within ten minutes the match was all square. Firstly Kayleigh Bonwick volleyed in the the first from a right wing cross and then the outstanding Georgia Tibble, who possesses a wonderful left foot, fired in a long range equaliser. Cobham were reeling and substitutions were made but St. Bedes had incredible momentum and went ahead with the goal of the match. Georgia Tibble picked up the ball around 25 yards from goal and brushed aside Cobham's Melissa Zhang to hammer an unstoppable drive into the top corner. It now looked like St. Bedes' day but resilient Cobham found another gear and, despite resolute defending from St.Bede’s, Chrissie Stuart broke through to tie up the game. Then in the last minute Julie Osen sent a perfect parabola over a stranded Sopie Rudge for the winner. It was one of those games where neither side deserves to lose and both teams deserve full praise for their part in a memorable match.

After a fairly even first 20 minutes Stamford High School took the lead against Oakham through a well worked move which saw Abby Brewin scoring from close range. Oakham were hindered by the loss of 2 key players and Abby Brewin scored again just before half time.With the very strong wind in their favour Stamford then took control of the game with Abby Brewin scoring a further 3 goals and Hannah Brewis and Rosie Coe completing the scoring to give Stamford a 7-0 victory

FIRST ROUND HIGHLIGHTS

On their debut in the tournament, King's College, Taunton, enjoyed an excellent 4-1 victory over Malvern.  O'Neil, Slade, Guess, Gavin were the scorers for King's, while Bellairs-Lombard replied for Malvern from the penalty spot.

After a nervous start at Uppingham, Oakham settled the better of the two teams and created a number of chances on goal, including a misssed penalty.  In the second half, Oakham were clearly the dominant force in the match and pressure paid when a move down the wing ended with Karen Ribeiro scoring the only goal of the match.  Uppingham pressed hard in the closing minutes in very difficult weather conditions but Oakham held on for their win.

In a match was played under lights in a slight drizzle, which made it very atmospheric, ACS Cobham proved too strong for a Wycombe Abbey side making their competition debut.  ACS Cobham's side have enjoyed a good deal of success so it was a tough task for Wycombe but the Wycombe girls never gave up and battled to the end which was to their credit. Goalscorers were Luisa Blanco Bush (5), Simone Serrano (2), Chrissie Stuart, Julie Osen, Saskia Fitzpatrick, Fiona McCarten and an own goal

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