In an arranged friendly, the Roses faced Rugby, building on their previous encounter. The match started strong for the Roses as they quickly transitioned the ball from center to the right, with Katie, Kiri, and Ellie causing early trouble for Rugby's defence. Ellie broke the deadlock with a low shot past the goalkeeper.

Rugby responded well, asserting themselves and creating chances, particularly down the right side. Lyla handled their crosses effectively, while Esme showcased her speed to thwart several through balls. Kayleigh, playing left midfield, worked tirelessly on both ends of the pitch, it’s good to see her really understanding the position.

The Roses doubled their lead from a corner; Katie's well-placed cross found Ellie, who diverted it into the net. Defensively, the Roses were strong, with Tilly sweeping effectively and Lilia making critical blocks. Unfortunately, an own goal from Esme brought Rugby back into the game after they capitalised on a rare defensive lapse.

Ellie continued to be a standout player, unleashing a powerful shot that was almost saved but rolled into the net for the Roses' third goal. Rugby clawed back another goal after a high press forced a turnover, leading to a shot that hit the crossbar, well saved by Lyla who got a hand to it but the follow up was finished from close range, unfortunate for Lyla who almost made an unbelievable save from point blank range.

The Roses regained composure, with Ellie providing a brilliant through ball to Poppy, whose shot was well saved. In the second half, the team exhibited greater control, thanks to the midfield partnership of Lily and Sophie, who linked play effectively.

Ellie scored two more goals, both from well-timed runs onto through balls. Caris began to make her presence felt with a couple of strong forward runs and crosses, while Kiri displayed skill on the left flank, aided by Poppy’s energetic runs that troubled the Rugby defence.

The final goal came from Ellie again, after Katie moved centrally and delivered a perfectly timed pass, allowing Ellie to finish with precision. The match showcased the Roses' attacking prowess and defensive resilience, ending with a solid performance overall.

There was lots to be pleased about in today’s game, Poppy once again causing no end of problems with her direct play. Our midfield pair were calm and assured on the ball and defensively second half we were strong, the times we were breached Lyla made the saves she needed to meaning we didn’t concede in that thirty five. In the post game debrief, Coach Chad decided to award Ellie and Tilly as Players of the Match. Ellie consistently has been excellent every game this season, today scoring six goals and was a real threat on every attack. Tilly made good decisions for most of the game and covered Lilia and Esme really well, who both also had an excellent game. A few times during the game Tilly took control of the ball and made a pass rather than a rushed clearance and following our training session on Wednesday focusing on first time passing, she showed a couple of good examples of this during the match.