MATCH REACTION | Camilla Buchanan (NSL Rd 16)

Head Coach Camilla Buchanan admitted she was disappointed with the performance, as her side suffered a defeat to Cardiff Dragons at home.

A tough first quarter saw Mavs go in trailing by 11 and Buchanan accepted that her side had left themselves with a mountain to climb.

“We didn’t expect it to go the way it did. We spoke about coming out of the blocks firing, but we didn’t do that in the first quarter. We did better in the second quarter and drew it. At half-time, the messages were that 11 goals was still something we could chase but it didn’t work out. We made changes at the break and sometimes they pay off, sometimes they don’t.”

Whilst there was disappointment on the day, a big positive was the performance of debutant Sophie Egbaran, who impressed on her NSL debut. Buchanan paid tribute to a player she believes is a real star of the future.

“The positive though is that Sophie Egbaran made her debut, and we couldn’t have asked for anything more from her. She did brilliantly in a difficult situation. I told her she was going on and she looked me in the face and said, ‘I’ll get the job done!’ She’s a real star for the future and it was great to see her make her debut.”

Mavs improved in the second quarter but the game slipped away from them after half-time, with the Head Coach explaining that as players and staff, they all needed to stick together heading into the final two matches of the season.

“The third quarter saw the score blow out again and it just wasn’t good enough today. We’ve talked about character for a while. We’ve got strategies and tactics, but now it’s about what we ask of those in the group and how we all step up to the plate as players and coaches.”

The play-offs may be out of reach for Mavericks, but Buchanan believes that her side still have a chance to show a true representation of themselves as a side heading into the end of the season.

“People may ask what the motivation is for these last two games, but they really matter. We’ll be going in fighting and looking to put in a performance.”