The University of Nottingham (UoN) Women’s Hockey Team ran out 2-0 winners over Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in the Varsity Series 2017 fixture at Beeston Hockey Club, in a game much tighter than the 7-0 drubbing of last year’s fixture.
UoN went into the two hockey fixtures with a 7-4 lead in the Nottingham Varsity 2017 series off the back of wins for the Water Polo and Netball, and the Women’s Hockey team had the chance to make it an imposing lead just three fixtures into the second week.
The match started in tight fashion, with both teams sharing possession without much penetration through either defence, with a Trent player showing good skill to dance past two defenders and crack in a shot that was never going to trouble the UoN keeper, but was a statement of intent from the Trent ladies keen to avenge that chastening 7-0 defeat.
“UoN began to impose themselves onto the game, and could have had a few goals before their first did arrive”
Slowly, however, UoN began to impose themselves onto the game, and could have had a few goals before their first did arrive, with only some stoic last-ditch Trent defending keeping the score at 0-0 for as long as it was.
When the first did come, it was a well-worked UoN goal. UoN’s number 9 danced her way through the Trent defence, showing great trickery and then firing past the Trent keeper. The first goal gave an added edge to the first half, and both teams had chances to score before the break, with the UoN keeper pulling off one particularly good high save to deny Trent their equaliser.
The second half began at the same frenetic pace as the first half finished, before the UoN ladies took control by firing in their second of the game. A well-worked penalty corner routine led to the UoN number 8 slotting home from close range, giving the ladies in Green and Gold a lead to protect going into the last twenty minutes.
With little to lose, Trent threw caution to the win in the last quarter of an hour, with a great last ditch tackle and a good save from the UoN keeper keeping Trent on the scoresheet.
The 2-0 scoreline was a fair reflection of the game’s tone; UoN were rarely threatened, yet Trent were never completely out of touch, in a much closer spectacle than the previous year’s fixture.
The win for UoN Ladies Hockey meant that the Varsity 2017 series score stood at 8-4 going into the men’s fixture just after the women’s, leaving the University of Nottingham in a very strong position for retaining the Varsity crown for another year.
Connor Higgs
Images courtesy of UoN Women’s Hockey Club and Impact Images.
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