Off we popped to Dorset, with the team an anomaly on the ferry, for our Hampshire league fixture against top of the table Swanage and Wareham. Knowing they are a very good side who now had the home advantage we were expecting a bit of a thrashing. Our fears started to look real when the home team scored within the first 5 minutes. The team kept going and held them at bay for a bit but it was not long before they scored again! This spurred the Island side to wake up and the side started to take the game to them. Some fabulous play in the midfield from Lotty Green, Cleo McMeechan, Jet Wade, Alice Aldridge-Snell and Megan Bridger started to worry Swanage and Wareham but the tean just couldn’t quite get close to the goal as the half time whistle blew.

The Island started off well in the second half and the game flowed nicely. The opposition were definitely started to get a bit frustrated with Poppy Gallerwood, Jarrison Smith, Lucy Townend and Lola Marfleet who all started to get the measure of their forwards. The Island got their breakthrough from a short corner when Lotty Green pounced on an initial save from the keeper to pop the ball in the back of the net! Swanage and Wareham didn’t falter however, and soon replied with a goal their own before making the game secure by scoring a fourth goal. Sanage and Wareham did not have it all their own way, Sophie Bruce was on fire making some seemingly impossible saves and was totally unfazed when one shot was undercut at her before simply batting it away. The Island did manage to score a second goal, again a short corner, with Megan Bridger’s strike finding its way into the net via a defender. Final score 4-2. Thanks to Neil Harris for umpiring even if he was technically Swanage and Wareham’s umpire now!