NPL Match Reports: London Pulse U19 & U21 v Loughborough Lightning
U19 Match Report
By Daisy Beer
Our under 19 squad faced Loughborough Lightning for a top of the table clash in the Netball Performance League.
The game was played at Brunel University, and we had great support from our fans. We got off to a great start and coped well with the physicality leading to quite a lot of stop start netball whilst both teams worked out their opposition. With strong centre pass opportunities to goal created in the attack end and with Ellie and Zaneya winning ball at the back we dominated the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter Pulse had a strong lead winning 14 – 8.
The second quarter was a closer contest with a few errors creeping in on both sides leading to an 11-goal draw but with pulse still with a strong lead overall.
There were some really strong connections through court and the coaches were pleased with our timing onto the ball and coping with the physicality of the Loughborough defence. In particular our shooters Hannah and Coco continued with their focused and accurate shooting leading to a 40 to 24 lead at the end of the third quarter. Loughborough changed a number of their players including their shooters who couldn’t settle under the pressure of the London Pulse defenders.
London Pulse finished the last the last quarter really strongly with an overall result of 51 goals to 35.
This win kept London Pulse at the top of the under 19 NPL table and showed a great squad effort in producing a big win against a good opposition.
The coaches player of the match was Summer for all her hard work and running through the match at centre.
The opposition player of the match was Ellie Sadler who produced huge pressure in our defending circle against the Loughborough lightning shooters for the whole match.
Thank you to our supporters our team manager Julie and coaches Sharron and Fran for all their continued support and encouragement.
Q1 14-8 to Pulse
Coco
Han
Daisy
Summer
Beth
Zaneya
Ellie
Coco 11/11
Han 3/4
Q2 25-14 Pulse
Coco
Han
Daisy/Beth
Summer
Beth/Evie
Zaneya
Ellie
Coco 6/9
Han 5/7
Q3 40-24 Pulse
Coco
Han
Beth/Daisy
Summer
Evie/Beth
Zaneya/Evie
Ellie
Coco 6/7
Han 9/11
Q4 51-35 Pulse
Coco/Elsie
Han
Daisy
Summer/Beth
Evie/Jane
Zaneya //Ellie
Ellie/Zaneya
Coco 3/3
Han 8/10
Coco 26/30 87%
Han 25/32 81%
OPOM Ellie
CPOM Summer
U21 Match Report by Regan Peters
Starting 7:
Elsie
Regan
Hannah K
Rudee
Izzi
Darcie
Tami
After a great performance against Surrey storm, next up our U21’s team faced an incredibly strong Loughborough lightning squad. The game started with Pulse putting the first point on the board, converting from Loughborough’s centre pass. First quarter continued to go goal for goal before Loughborough pulled away to finish Q1 leading by 6.
Second quarter began with some changes for Pulse, with Ali coming on to GS making an immediate impact opening up the circle, and Oonagh making a change with Izzi to play WD. Pulse continued to battle against Loughborough displaying some great through court attack after crucial turnovers and finishing it off with a clean shot. Pulse’s C (Rudee) powered through the quarter after taking a few tough hits, holding the team together in the mid-court and linking well with defence. However, despite Pulse’s best efforts Loughborough’s slick defence were able to convert ball and increase their lead.
Third quarter saw some fresh legs in attack as Claudia came on to WA, working on and off the circle well with Hannah as C. Some great turnovers from Tami in the defensive circle, against a strong Loughborough shooter, lead to more smart play throughout the court with Regan securing the shot. Although the scoreline wasn’t a reflection of the team’s hopes for the game, Pulse continued to push through until the end showcasing some fantastic areas of play whilst also drawing some work ons away from the game before their next game against Leeds Rhinos.
Coaches player went to Hannah K for her determination and hard work throughout the entirety of the game and Loughborough’s player of the match went to Regan P