Henley Women’s 1s produced a spirited performance against Fareham, but despite a strong final quarter and a host of late chances, were narrowly beaten 2–1.

Henley took the lead in the first half with a superb team goal that began at the other end of the pitch. After successfully defending a Fareham short corner, Henley broke quickly on the counterattack. Chloe Lyons finding Maisie Robinson, who produced a deft deflection to finish off an excellent end-to-end team move and put Henley 1–0 ahead.

Fareham responded strongly after the break and turned the game around in the second half, converting two well-executed short corners to take a 2–1 lead.

Henley however, refused to let the game get away from them. Daisy Ruhle, named Player of the Match, was excellent in goal, producing a number of impressive saves to keep Henley firmly in contention. In front of her, Lucy Jean Jean delivered an outstanding individual defensive performance, while Rachel Townley worked tirelessly to keep Fareham’s attack at bay for much of the contest.

The final quarter belonged largely to Henley as they pushed hard for an equaliser. With the majority of possession, Henley created chance after chance and went agonisingly close from several short corners. Despite piling on the pressure until the final whistle, they just couldn’t find the goal their performance deserved.

A frustrating result for Henley, but plenty of positives to take from a determined team performance, excellent defensive work and a final quarter that showed real fight and attacking intent.