Ladies lose out to contentious goals

ROCHDALE Ladies’ run of winning form came to an end when they faced University of Manchester’s 3rd team on Saturday.

It was clear from the first whistle that UoM were hungry for a win and within minutes they had bagged two goals.

Both goals were questioned by the Rochdale players and supporters, as the umpire seemed to allow fouls throughout the play which ultimately led them to having a 2-0 lead so early on. Despite this being frustrating for the ladies they were determined to get what was there’s back.

With defence – made up of Nicky Monghan, Gill Owen, Becky Moon and Hannah Smith – working tirelessly the chances dried up for UoM.

With some changes at half time, Rochdale were ready to attack after the interval.

They pulled a goal back when Gemma Hodcroft took the ball to the top of the D and hit a fantastic strike into the bottom right-hand corner – stopping the keeper in her tracks.

Rochdale went seeking that second goal but to no avail – they were unable to penetrate the opposition’s strong defensive line-up.

Despite Rochdale being unable to bag the three points the game showcased some improvements the team have been making.

New players Becka Smith and Hannah Palmer also proved why they deserved a regular spot on the team.

With some great encouragement from captain Becky Knowles morale ended high with the ladies looking forward to taking on the next team in the league.

Captain Becky Knowles: “We battled hard during the game and especially in the second half when we had most of the possession. We tried our best despite some questionable decisions from the umpire and the other team having so many subs. All in all it was disappointing but we played well, kept it strong and we will come out even harder next week.”