GU14 Eagles 0 – 0 Guildford
(Guildford win 3 - 1 on penalties)
By Mark Rogers
Cup fever hit Surbiton big time as the Eagles took on a strong Guildford side in the third Round - colloquially referred to by the television commentators as the "Round of 11" - a radical scheduling feature designed to set apart sport's most prestigious tournament from lesser and more traditionally formatted sporting events. The local derby and the size of the prize also magnified the sense of occasion, with the winner advancing to the national Quarter Finals and the tantalising prospect of an exotic fixture or at least one slightly further afield.
The stakes simply could not have been higher when Freya won the first battle in the war, successfully calling "Heads" and choosing to field first, quick-wittedly taking advantage of the overnight moisture that had settled on the pitch. It proved to be an inspired decision as the Eagles, normally known for more measured starts, hunted the ball down deep into opposition territory with Natalia and Leyli sucking the air out of the opponent’s lungs through a whirlwind vortex of harrying and hassling. From the resultant free hit on the left side, Ellie sent a skimming-stone pass to Erin setting off a chain of events which would lead to a penalty corner the fifth minute. Erin on to Tileena, then back to Nancy, launching an aerial into the mid-Surrey team’s 22, picked up by Izzy, sharp pass to Saskia, lift to Romaine, into the D, Guildford foot, penalty corner. Izzy’s injection was fast, and Natalia’s strike was strong, but a combination of glove, stick, post, goal line, post, pad and stick somehow conspired to keep the ball out. How did that not go in?
The players' performance justified the club's decision not to spend big in the January transfer window, and in fact the only transfers being talked about were those across the Eagles back four. Each time a channel was blocked on the left or the right, Elsa and Nancy would shoot the ball back to Bella and Freya in the deep who’d transfer it across to the opposite flank and launch another attack against the stretched out opponents.
It seemed only a matter of time before the Eagles would convert a chance. Tileena, Leyli and Saskia all ran like reincarnations of the great Welsh rugby legends of the 1970’s without the sideburns – fast and strong, side stepping opponents at will and whipping up a frenzy amongst the home fans. However, somehow and agonisingly the ball stayed out of the Guildford goal. There was no great defending, no great saves and no missed sitters, just a stray toe here and a stubbed stick there, as if the hockey gods – offended perhaps by the Eagles’ out-of-character and slightly lacklustre warm-up - had decided that the Eagles were not going to break the net today. The Eagles are a high performance team and perhaps it was simply a case of perfection being the enemy of done.
It was not totally one-sided. Guildford have some fine players who sought to disturb the Eagles defence, with Maeve, Elsa and Bella all stopping attackers in their tracks, but a Guildford goal never really looked on the cards. Lexi, such a formidable presence at the back, was rarely in action, although the lie-on-the-floor-and-kick-the-attacker-hard-in-the-stomach-with-both-feet-move was probably enough to ensure that no-one, attacker or defender, fancied too many incursions into her D.
When the final whistle blew, with the score at 0-0, the result somehow felt inevitable despite the drama that surrounded it. Played out in a cacophony of noise, the penalty shuffles went the way of the match, with microfractions of an inch, be that stick, pad or post, conspiring against the fantastic Eagles. Fair play and good luck to Guildford.
The Eagles, momentarily broken hearted, will become all the better from the experience and, like a phoenix from the flames, will come back stronger when they renew their Supra League campaign. For the neutrals, the tension was phenomenal and the Round of 11 ensured that the Cup remains sport’s premier knockout competition.
With additional reporting from Peter Higginson at the Reeds Arena
