5/11/25 Eagles 2-1 Nottingham 4s

Goals: Praewa, Eve

MOTM: Ella

DOTD: The crowd

The Eagles walked out onto the 3G under the floodlights with a mix of nerves and excitement. Having gone unbeaten for exactly a year, we were desperate to keep the streak alive!

We were greeted by Carl who had heroically been in Nottingham since 12pm for our 7:30pm kickoff. If there’s ever been a man more committed to an away day, we haven’t met him.

Flashback to Sunday’s training: Aaran M’s passing drill was the final boss of coordination challenges, but it paid off. Praewa and Anna were linking up with silkyyy one-two-one-twos. The shield drill that followed had us feeling strong (even if our calves begged to differ), and the 3G pitch that awaited us? An atrocity. Our knees never stood a chance.

The opening minutes were nervy. Nottingham pressed high, and we struggled to find rhythm… Emma was putting in heroic tackles despite defending with what can only be described as half a hand. Sofia’s distribution from the back was pure class, picking out passes that gave us breathing room.

Then, disaster: Nottingham snuck one past us to make it 1–0. But that was the wake-up call we needed. Suddenly, we were switched on. Sofia picked the ball up from the back and sprayed a perfect pass up the pitch to Eve. Eve DROVEEE forward - a full-tilt sprint, past players like they were cones and finished to make it 1-1. GAME ONNN

Half-time came with the score level and our blood pumping. We regrouped, switched from one 6 and two 10s to two solid 6s, and brought on Anna U to steady the midfield. The adjustment worked. Caragh came on with that pure intensity, annihilating their fullback with a hockey/cricket/football/rugby-style long barrier that deserves its own highlight.

The second half was a real test of stamina. Eve was relentless, Sofia kept finding space from the back, and Praewa linked play beautifully. Everyone was fighting for every ball. And on the sidelines, Yuchen put in an elite performance as lino, blocking out the rowdy crowd. Eve picked the ball up deep, drove at the defence, battled through what was essentially a wrestling match in the box, then cut it back perfectly for Praewa - left foot, top bins. 2–1. Everyone could hear Irene’s SCREAM from the sidelines.

When the final whistle blew, we were shattered, knees torn to shreds, bodies aching, but overjoyed. From 1–0 down to a 2-1 win, we showed exactly what this team is about: resilience, teamwork, and pure Eagle spirit.

What a day to be an Eagle 🦅

And as we like to say - Carl me maybe 🎤

Written by Ella Richardson