Blue Jay Luci Ferguson was hit under the chin with a raised ball from Lithgow Zig-Zag and was taken straight to hospital where she received five stitches.

By the end of the game, Dubbo finished with a 3-2 loss and a few of the other girls walked away with cuts, scrapes and bruises, feeling the effects of what was a very physical match.

Team captain Mel Singh explained Lithgow were a lot tougher than expected.

"Craig (Johnston) made a change in our starting line-up, putting Alex Waters on the forward line which helped push our younger players and give Tarlee Roberts someone to link up with," she said.

"The move paid off as we were able to control the game and attack from the start for about 10-15 minutes. After we scored, Lithgow seemed to step up and start playing a lot harder, taking control back for the rest of the half."

She said the Blue Jays started to panic and their passing was "non-existent".

"Without our passes connecting, Lithgow were able to keep cutting us out and turn the ball over to their attack who were very quick and not long before half-time we conceded a penalty corner.," she said.

"If we maintained control of the ball and connected our passes, we could have come away with a few more goals and possibly the win."

Courtney Hogan fought hard to find the back of the goal less than 10 minutes into the game. Aimee Davis laid off to Waters to score again.

Chantelle Warner, despite battling shin splints for the last few weeks, was voted players' player in the right-back position, with not many goals going past her and her strength and marking had Zig-Zag turning the ball in field and trying to play down their right front for most of the game.

Singh said Lithgow were a very determined and tough team to beat.

"Playing a physical team like that has made us all realise just how much tougher we have to be if we're going to come away with another win on the road, make the semi-finals and remain competitive in premier league," she said. The Blue Jays will play one more away game against the Orange Ex-Services in Orange (who drew 1-1 against Kinross-CYMS on Saturday). They dropped from fourth to fifth place on the ladder, Singh said, and would look at getting a win at home to make up for it. "If we can play like we did in the first 15 minutes against Zig-Zag and control the game from start to finish, we could bring home another win which will give the team a huge boost as we then have five straight home games," she said.