Charlie Wood, Kian Gadsby and Tom Henigan
The University of Nottingham futsal team completed a dramatic comeback in their Varsity match, as they came from 3-0 down to defeat Trent 4-3 thanks to a late winner from Sam Bunce, to hand the Green and Gold a 3-1 lead in the Varsity series.
UoN Futsal had suffered a frustrating season, as they were relegated from the Premier division of the BUCS league. Trent had finished third in that league, and defeated UoN 8-6 last time these teams met, but came into this fixture with a poor Varsity record over the past few years. A win for the Green and Gold would give them a fourth straight title in Varsity Futsal.
UoN started the game in control of the possession, using the fly keeper tactic in order to do so, as they looked to gain control of the match early on. But, after 3 minutes, NTU Vice-Captain, Joe Sandel, opened the scoring after Trent won the ball back and went on a quick counter attack, catching UoN with their keeper out of goal.
Hay made another top save soon after, as the Green and Gold sought to stay in the game
UoN went back to a regular formation as Trent began to enjoy some possession after their goal. Captain Jack Brumfield had two shots blocked in quick succession as they looked to press home their advantage. Soon after, a save from UoN keeper Noah Hay hit Finlay Mills in the face and almost deflected in, but the keeper recovered it well. Hay made another top save soon after, as the Green and Gold sought to stay in the game.
UoN then responded, Jojo Mills’ shot forced NTU keeper Lee Mifsud into his first action of the game, and Dex Ingham had a shot blocked off the line, keeping the score at 1-0 to Trent.
The Green and Gold then had a succession of long range shots that brought about a couple of corners, but no goals.
Despite having less of the ball, Trent once again found the back of the net. Kian Gabbett capitalised on an uncharacteristic Finlay Mills mistake and doubled the NTU lead, calmly slotting his shot under the helpless Hay.
UoN’s Dan Watson came close to getting his side back in the game. He skillfully turned his man to afford himself a chance on goal, only for his shot well saved by Mifsud.
NTU were 3-0 up and firmly in control of proceedings
Trent then further extended their lead. A brilliant passing move across the box saw Sandel score his second and Trent’s third of the game, as NTU were 3-0 up and firmly in control of proceedings. Despite controlling possession, UoN had been unable to break down Trent’s defence, as the visitors were taking advantage of their opponent’s mistakes.
UoN were fortunate not to find themselves 4-0 down at the break, as Sol Dobrin had a clear-cut chance in front of goal, but the NTU man slipped after being handed an empty net.
As the whistle blew for half-time, UoN trailed 3-0 and had a lot of work to do. But they have made bigger comebacks in Varsity before, including overturning a 5-1 deficit to draw 5-5 and win on penalties in 2023.
The Green and Gold came out firing in the second half. Finlay Mills made a crunching slide tackle just a few seconds after the break to set the tone, a tackle which was met with roars from the home support.
That fiery energy continued, as Dex Ingham and Ruben Wapnick quickly earned themselves yellow cards for some aggressive challenges.
However, those tackles shifted the momentum in the home side’s favour. UoN started to pile the pressure on as they had to find a goal quickly, and Wapnick forced a save from range to win a corner, before Mills did the same ,but his final effort went wide of the mark.
However, Trent once again had the opportunity to make it 4-0. It was almost a familiar story, as Sandel won the ball from a UoN mistake. This time his shot was saved, denying him his hat trick and keeping the lead at only 3.
Finley Mills stepped up to take the free kick for UoN
Wapnick’s aggression was proving a challenge for the Trent defenders. He won a free kick after Jack Brumfield fouled him following a brief altercation between the two. Finley Mills stepped up to take the free kick for UoN and fired it into the back of the net brilliantly, bringing his side side right back in the game.
The game livened up after the goal, and the UoN team were cheered on by the huge noise from the crowd at David Ross. Dylan Meranda made some great saves in the UoN goal to keep them in the game, including to deny Gabbett his brace, whilst Mifsud denied Watson back at the other end.
With 10 minutes remaining, the Green and Gold still trailed by two goals. Sam Bunce was the next to have a go for them, as he beat a man to gain a rare bit of space in the final third, but saw his shot saved.
The clock continued to tick down and a comeback looked increasingly unlikely.
Wapnick was then fortunate to avoid a second yellow as he brought down Sandel. However, he was not sent off, meaning UoN kept their numerical parity.
The home side continued to apply pressure, growing increasingly desperate for another goal to halve the deficit. Wapnick had a few shots at goal, and it took a brilliant tackle from Sandel to deny Ingham not long after. Watson also forced a fingertip save from the Trent keeper, as UoN kept searching for a way back into the game.
They would find that route a couple of minutes later. A well worked routine from a kick in resulted in Watson squaring it to Jojo Mills who finished into an empty net. as the UoN fans erupted, led by the cheers from the players and coaches on the bench. With just six and a half minutes left on the clock, and the score now at 3-2, the fans were in for a thrilling finale.
UoN continued to pile on the pressure, now searching for an equaliser. Jojo Mills received the ball with his back to goal, holding off NTU’s Joe Bregman as he created just enough space to rifle a shot into the roof of the net to make it 3-3. UoN had clawed themselves back into the game after facing almost certain defeat at half time, but were now level and sensing victory.
The Green and Gold supporters were in full voice as NTU’s fans were still trying to comprehend what had happened. Despite the momentum being completely against them, Trent tried to mount a response, and they almost restored their lead, but Gabbett skied a great chance on a counter attack. Moments later, a save from Meranda from a Bregman strike kept the scores level.
UoN’s Sam Bunce was quickest to react as he charged in
However, the ascendency was firmly with the Green and Gold. Fraser Geddes received the ball down the right hand side from a long throw by Meranda. Geddes managed to get a shot off at a tight angle, forcing a save from Mifsud, as the ball looped to the back post. UoN’s Sam Bunce was quickest to react as he charged in and headed the ball into the back of the net from a yard out, handing the home side the lead with two minutes remaining. The UoN bench spilt onto the pitch, surrounding Bunce, who had surely netted the winner on his Varsity debut.
The celebrations were chaotic and exuberant, but UoN had not won the game just yet. Trent tried to draw level, implementing the fly keeper tactic, as goalie Finn Langley came forward, having a shot that flashed just wide of the post. Trent then substituted the goalie off all together as they sought to draw the game level.
There was one last heart in mouth moment for UoN as Brumfield won an aerial battle, sending the ball forward and giving Bregman a half chance. NTU’s number 10 was able to get his shot off but it wasn’t the connection he wanted as the ball rolled safely into the hands of Meranda. UoN’s keeper let the clock tick down to almost zero before booting the ball away as the buzzer sounded to confirm a dramatic win for UoN, who had fought back from 3-0 down at half time, when the game looked dead and buried.
This was a fourth consecutive Varsity futsal win for UoN, and the victory gives them a 3-1 lead in the Varsity series, following victories for the Netball and Thai Boxing teams.
After the game we were able to get a comment from match-winner Sam Bunce. When asked about the goal, Sam said ‘The feeling was incredible to come back like that so late on. For the ball to drop in that position for me to run onto felt like fate. From suffering an injury early in the season to scoring the most important goal of the season, it’s like it has been written. Everyone played their part in the second half and we showed our resilience together with the supporters to push through.’
The Varsity continues with Basketball and Lacrosse fixtures, before Super Wednesday at Trent university.
Charlie Wood, Kian Gadsby and Tom Henigan
In article image 1 courtesy of @uonfutsal via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.?
In article image 2 courtesy of @uonfutsal via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.?
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