National final awaits Perse hockey team after nail-biting victory

The Perse girls’ U14 hockey team are through to the England Hockey T1 Schools Plate national final after a nerve-racking sudden death win on penalty shuffles.

Following a hard-fought goalless draw at home to St John’s School Leatherhead, the team edged out their opponents 6-5 in the shootout to claim victory in the semi-final and book a place in next month’s final against King’s Worcester at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.

St John’s started the game quickly and attacked at pace with The Perse working hard to get numbers behind the ball and mark tightly while finding it tough to create any clear opportunities of their own.

As the first half wore on, heroic short corner defence saw the home side maintain the 0-0 stalemate at the interval.

The second half followed a similar pattern with St John’s moving the ball around and mounting the pressure, with attacking chances being limited for The Perse.

However, the team stayed strong with a goal-line clearance, a couple of last-ditch tackles and excellent goalkeeping, as the visitors proved unable to break the deadlock.

With the final score 0-0, the match went to shuffles to decide the outcome with captain Emily, Lillyane, Sophie and vice-captains Elisabeth and Beatrix stepping up as the Perse’s takers.

At 4-4 after five shuffles apiece, the shootout went to sudden death with Esther’s fantastic efforts eventually forcing one of the St John’s takers to shoot just wide to ensure a 6-5 victory for the hosts.

Nicky Bareham, Perse Assistant Head of Hockey (Girls), who coached the team, said: “I am so proud of everyone in the team. The work rate and teamwork on display was incredible.

“They stood firm in defence and worked hard for each other. They should be immensely proud of themselves as we now have a national final to prepare for.”