Petersfield Ladies 1 Fleet & Ewshot Ladies 3: PETERSFIELD Ladies exited the Hampshire Cup with a home defeat against Fleet and Ewshot on Sunday.

Fleet and Ewshot lead Division 2, the league above Petersfield, and arrived with a team full of young players brimming with energy.

Petersfield struggled to find any fluency early on and started the match on the back foot. The visitors took advantage of an easy interception and scored within the first five minutes.

The home side responded well to going behind and applied some pressure.

Fleet and Ewshot continued to be a threat, though, and won six penalty corners in the first half, but Petersfield held firm.

The home side got themselves back on level terms before half time. Petersfield broke down the right and transferred the ball across the D, and Hedges got behind the ball and powered it into the goal to make it 1-1.

In the second half Fleet and Ewshot’s high fitness levels told as the visitors produced a number of attacks at a high intensity.

Molly Cullen was dominant at the back and regularly picked off the Fleet and Ewshot forwards as they tried to break through.

The away team continued to surge up the pitch in numbers, but Petersfield defended well and Fleet and Ewshot had to work hard to win short corners.

Petersfield continued to work tirelessly, but eventually the pressure told and the visitors scored two goals to earn a 3-1 win and a place in the next round of the cup.