Ely & Chesterton United lost 5-1 at home to Valdagno in the WSE Women’s Cup knockout competition first leg on Saturday at Herne Bay
Ely & Chesterton United faced a challenging first leg in the WSE Women's Cup knockout competition, losing 5-1 against Italian side Valdagno at Herne Bay Arena on Saturday.
The competition, organised by World Skate Europe, is in its inaugural edition and features teams that didn’t qualify for the WSE Women's Champions League finals, as well as senior female runners-up from national leagues across Europe.
This was more than just another European fixture, though, as many of Ely & Chesterton’s players share a history with Valdagno, dating back to their first international game at Eurockey 2021 as U15s, followed by multiple encounters at the U17 National Team level in 2023 and 2024. A particularly historic moment came in 2023, when England secured a dramatic draw against Italy to qualify for the U17 European Championship, where they went on to claim a historic silver medal.
With a mix of local supporters, travelling fans from Italy, and Cambridge-based rink hockey enthusiasts, Herne Bay Arena provided a fantastic setting for this intense contest.
Ely & Chesterton’s resolve was tested early, conceding within the first minute. The team spent much of the first half adjusting to the game’s high physicality and, despite battling hard, they conceded again just eight seconds before half-time, leaving them trailing 2-0 at the break.
Determined to match Valdagno’s physical presence, Ely & Chesterton upped their intensity in the second half. However, two blue cards resulted in direct free hits for the Italian side, allowing them to maintain control. Ely & Chesterton fought back with Scarlett Courtenay-Barrow breaking through the Valdagno defence, helped by a well-placed screen from Emily Bolt, before placing a brilliant shot into the far corner via a touch from Izzy Jansen-Bhatti.
Ely & Chesterton pushed for another goal to close the gap but conceded twice more - one during a power play and another on the counter-attack.
Despite the scoreline, Ely & Chesterton’s young squad showed incredible determination. The oldest Ely & Chesterton players, at just 18, were the same age as Valdagno’s youngest, highlighting the physicality gap between the teams.
Nonetheless, Ely & Chesterton’s younger stars Gemma Cannizzo, Jenna Price and Sarah Figredo fought valiantly, while Courtenay-Barrow was once again a standout performer, looking dangerous in transition and scoring another well-earned European goal.
Both Ely & Chesterton goalkeepers had strong performances, with Dottie Thorogood putting in a solid first-half display and Sarah Moffett making two fantastic penalty saves.
Ely & Chesterton fly to Valdagno on February 15 with a renewed focus, extra preparation, and the determination to overturn the deficit in the second leg.