20th of August 2022: The Aztecs enjoy a good pre-season contest.
Mo Delaney between the sticks, Ana Bunnet available, Molly Sumner back in the squad, and Leah Harris making her first Aztecs appearance.
These eight getting in some valuable pre-season minutes.
The Aztecs got off to a great start, scoring immediately from the kick-off. It's rare to score the first goal of the game without the opposition having control of the ball, which is precisely what Southampton did, with a little help from Laura Ingram's strength and perseverance.
England started to come back into the game, with Delaney having to pull off some emergency saves. The score was levelled to 1-1 with a neat one-two and a well hit finish. The Aztecs had been riding their luck and the goal had been coming for some time.
Laura Ingram would soon re-establish the lead, making it 2-1 to the Aztecs. Kayleigh Tonks and Rebecca Moody worked the shooting chance from a kick-in, and Ingram scored at the second attempt. Both teams had plenty of chances to get the fourth goal. It was an Aztecs player who put the ball in the net, but the goal was for England. If Rebecca Moody hadn't put the ball in the net, England would have anyway.
The Aztecs got back in front, when Kayleigh Tonks made it 3-2. Intercepting a pass from the goalkeeper, Tonks' first attempt was blocked, making sure at the second attempt.
3-2 in Northampton at half-time, England scored first in the second half, preventing a counter-attack by robbing Ingram of possession and firing across the goal for a tap-in at the second post making it 3-3.
Ana Bunnet restored the lead for the Aztecs, poking the ball home after receiving a defence-splitting pass from Moody making it 4-3. Moody went from provider to scorer, receiving an excellent diagonal pass from Mo Delaney, with a sublime top corner finish, extending the lead to 5-3.
Making it 6-3, Laura Ingram scored a screamer, hitting a shot from distance after Nicola Curtis laid her the ball from a corner. England pulled it back to 6-4 firing a shot high into the net from close range.
The Aztecs response was instant. A kick-off routine right out of the playbook involving Kayleigh Tonks and Rebecca Moody saw Leah Harris get the goal on her first appearance, making it 7-4.
England scored their fifth and final goal of the game, taking it to 7-5. A great cross and a volleyed finish taking it past Delaney. Ana Bunnet finished off the scoring for the Aztecs, receiving a nutmegged pass from Kayleigh Tonks, executing an excellent spin. Her first shot rebounded back into her own face, but that didn't prevent her from following up and scoring for a brace.
Laura Ingram was voted for player of the match. She scored an excellent hat-trick and pulled off several nutmegs.
Watch the full match below.
Watch the highlights here.
We have a couple more games before the season starts. Our first team will face Birmingham WLV on the 10th of September, and the reserves take on London Genesis on the 1st of October. Fixtures for the women's teams can be found here.
If you want our official Adidas kit, get yourself over to KitLocker.
If you would like other Aztecs merchandise, go to Spreadshirt.
We're still looking for a couple more players for our women's squad. If you want to be involved as a player, let us know your details by clicking on this link.
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