Win moves Ipswich up to second place

Barham secures the 3 points

Ipswich SEVEN Hockey Club continued their winning start to the season with another 3 points against a well drilled Cambridge City side.

The home started started well and in the first 5 minutes could have taken the lead, but Kate Wingars great shot hit the cross bar and flew away to safety. After the let off the visitors started to find more composure on the ball but Ipswich forwards Chloe Williams, India Goodman and Sarah Daley were still putting them under immense pressure and it looked like it would only be a matter of time before another opportunity arrived.

Kat Blake was doing good work marshalling the Ipswich defence, so any threats were dealt with before they reached the home sides circle and the pressure on the away teams defence finally told when Chloe Williams was awarded a Penalty Stroke, after the away GK had been judged to illegally cover the ball with her glove.

Sophie sexton stepped up and calmly scored the penalty to give Ipswich a well deserved lead.

Half time saw Ipswich coach Mareitte Rix tinker with a few positional issues and Ipswich went looking for that crucial second goal. Sure enough it wasn't long before a good chance came their way. Some great work by Williams down the left, saw her feed the ball to captain Emma Millar, who in turn found the run of Micha Knowles. Knowles took the shot early but it went agonizingly wide by a matter of inches. Ipswich kept applying pressure and this time it was Williams with a shot but the keeper made a good save and the score stayed at 1-0.

With time ticking on Cambridge started to chase the game and applied more pressure to the Ipswich defence. A slip by an Ipswich defender gave City a sight of goal but Ipswich GK and player of the match Ali Barham was more than equal to it and palmed it away to safety.

With seconds left City won a disputed PC and it was their last chance to grab a point. Barham was alert again though and her double save ensure it was Ipswich that were taking the 3 points.

It was a far form perfect display from the Suffolk side and they almost were made to pay for not taking their chances but it was another clean sheet and 3 points, and that sees them occupy 2nd place in the league table.

Next up for Ipswich are Norwich Dragons away.