Richard Luscombe THE drama of penalties played the decisive role in a thrilling 2017 EFL Girls Cup held at the Goals Soccer Centre in Plymouth.
On a glorious autumn day, we welcomed schools from across the region for a genuine festival of football, and it was an absolute cracker.
After some tremendous games through the group stages and a highly competitive tournament, we were down to the final four, coming from South Dartmoor Community College, Eggbuckland Community College and two teams representing Ivybridge Community College.
The Ivybridge teams were kept apart in the semi-final and it turned out to be one defeat and one victory for those girls, leaving us with a final contested by Ivybridge and South Dartmoor.
The ideal start for South Dartmoor saw them edge ahead within the first minute and they were tantalisingly close to getting their hands on the trophy when Ivyrbidge popped up with a fine equaliser, steered into the bottom corner.
The final whistle arrived and sent us to the drama of penalties, where the girls stepped up with the assurance of a German side in the World Cup. After some fantastic penalties, Ivybridge finally prevailed and will now move forward to the regional finals held at Bristol Rovers in January.
Well done to everyone involved and for more information on the wide range of options we have for female footballers, please contact Women and Girls Officer Michaela Phillips on michaela.phillips@pafc.co.uk or call 01752 562561 ext.4