Ben Rhydding hit back to teach students a lesson

BEN Rhydding gained their third-successive win to maintain their hold on fourth place in the Investec Women's League Conference North.

Loughborough, who started the day two point adrift of Ben Rhydding, made a flying start and were 2-0 up inside five minutes.

Ben Rhydding, chasing their highest-ever finish, responded by capitalising on some slack defending. Rachel Doherty nicked the ball off a defender before chipping the ball over the sliding goalkeeper.

Rhydding levelled the score from a penalty corner on the last play of the half. Player of the match Jodie Bridger reacted well to a high ball after it rebounded off the goalkeeper and deflected it into the net.

Rhydding were the dominant side in the second half and took the lead through a well-worked penalty corner that saw Tanisha Janzen slot the ball into the corner of the net to make it 3-2.

Loughborough were not going to give up the fight and hit back to level at 3-3.

Rhydding were putting the home defence under a lot of pressure in the final 15 minutes. Doherty, Jo Ellis, Eleanor Trafford and Michelle Morris worked tirelessly up front and forced the Loughborough defence into errors.

One of those errors fell straight to Ellis who hammered the ball beyond the Loughborough goalkeeper.

Although the game became stretched with the home side looking for the equaliser, Rhydding were able to hold onto all three points and maintain their fourth position in the league ahead of Saturday's visit to University of Durham.