CAPTAIN Katie Gatt’s penalty corner goal earned Witney Ladies a point at home to Bristol Firebrands on Saturday.
Gatt struck in the 45th minute with a flick after Charlotte Sharpe won the set piece, but the lead only lasted three minutes when Meghan Duncan slapped in a penalty corner goal of her own for what proved to be the equaliser.
It was an impressive rearguard effort from the Lambs, with goalkeeper Emily Munsey called into action to make incredible saves from Isabella Slawin and Duncan.
Cita Haines was the liveliest forward for Witney, firing a penalty corner rebound over the bar in the second quarter and shooting inches wide for what surely would have been the winner late on.
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“Structure is really important for us at the minute,” defender Gatt explained.
“We were very disciplined at the back today and that’s what made the difference, because they’ve got some really strong players. They’ve got some skill and we knew what we were up against and it was just about executing.”
There was also an impressive debut from Mia Smith, one of several new players, including Haines, in the Witney ranks this season.
“It was [Smith’s] first National League game and she did well,” Gatt said.
“Because we’ve got so many new players we’ve still got to build the communication. We’ve got more senior players like Cita, who are getting involved verbally. We’re right at the start of our journey and hopefully we can build on that.”
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