Henley Ladies 1s faced Oxford 1s on Saturday, earning a well-fought 1–1 draw after a competitive, determined performance following last week’s disappointing result.

With a solid squad of 15, Henley came out firing, moving the ball confidently and enjoying plenty of possession from the off. The intent was clear: this was a team eager to prove a point. At the other end, goalkeeper AJ was rock solid throughout, making a series of important saves and putting in a composed all-round performance to keep Henley firmly in the game. Oxford pushed back hard, but Henley’s structure and composure kept things locked at 0–0 heading into half time — cue both sides cranking the energy up a notch.

The breakthrough finally came after the restart. Forward Maisie Robinson blocked an attempted outlet by the Oxford defence, holding the ball in the far corner of the baseline before firing a driven cross into the D, causing absolute chaos. Sticks flew, feet scrambled, and in the middle of it all Charlotte Hetherington was perfectly placed to knock the ball onto the backboard.

Unfortunately, Oxford answered back with a short corner goal, evening things up in the last 5 minutes, despite Henley’s best efforts to shut the door. The hosts kept pushing right to the final whistle, but time ran out, leaving the points shared.

With no game next weekend, Henley will be taking the chance to rest, reset, and sharpen up in training. All eyes now on Bournemouth on the 21st, where this performance will hopefully be the launchpad for a well-earned and long awaited win.