GU14 Eagles fly into Supra League Finals

GU14 Eagles 5 - 1 Sevenoaks GU14 (H)

GU14 Supra League Round 4

As the final whistle went, and the crowd invaded the pitch, no one noticed the small group of supporters smiling on the back row of the stands. Yet it was these individuals, retired GU14 players now known as the Eagles Legends, who had paved the way for this moment of greatness in the long and distinguished history of the Eagles. Nobody had thought that the feats of the legendary Eagles of 23/24 could ever be surpassed, but that is precisely what happened on a sunny afternoon at Sugden Road as the Eagles qualified for the National Supra League finals with a resounding win over Sevenoaks. The Eagles Legends were there to witness history being made and, amongst a sell out crowd, appreciated every moment. 

The Eagles - now formally known as Katie Curtis's Surbiton Eagles after their record-breaking coach - knew the task that had been set for them. Win or draw and a place in the finals, with the seven next best teams in the country, would be theirs. Lose and destiny would be out of their hands and reliant on results elsewhere. 

It was no surprise, therefore, that the ground was full of anxious well-wishers, worrying whether the players would be able to rise to the occasion against well-fancied opponents or would crumble under the weight of expectation. They need not have been concerned, as the Eagles quickly set about taking control of the fixture with Becca, Seren and Sofia bolting down the midfield. Violet led the charge up the left, her spotless through ball to Charlie at the top of the D threading through endless outstretched sticks, before Maya, handcuffed to the back post, slapped the ball into the back of the net after five minutes of play. There was a palpable sense of relief as the home team went 1-0 up.

Sevenoaks, themselves in with a chance of qualification, were not to be rolled over and quickly recovered. Each Eagles attack was met with a Sevenoaks response and it was only through the half-back efforts of Cesca and Lyla that the home team were not outflanked. However, the visitors slowly took a foothold and the back three of Saffron, Leia and Boo worked miracles to keep them at bay. The home supporters quietened and the pressure finally paid off with Sevenoaks snatching an equaliser on the cusp of half time. 

It was touch-and-go as to which Eagles team would appear after the break, as Sevenoaks were the team on the ascendancy. However, the Eagles always come good and Gemma's thunderbolt after 40 minutes, after a well crafted attack down the right, restored the Eagles lead. It felt as if it was going to be repeat of last week's 5-3 see-saw thriller against Guildford as Sevenoaks immediately sought to restore parity. However, an extraordinary lunge from Emily - the end-product of years of high performance lunge-training - saved a certain goal. Whether it was that save, or the presence of the Eagles Legends willing their successors on to entry into the Eagles Hall of Fame, that made the difference, no one will ever know. But it broke the tit-for-tat goal routine and the next score fell to the Eagles as Violet made the most of a penalty corner five minutes later. Thereafter, the result seemed a formality and the spectators finally relaxed into a display of hockey excellence as first Charlie, and then Ebba put the result beyond doubt.