Charlie Gadd
This men’s Lacrosse team have had an absolute rollercoaster of a season. The highs have been high, an incredible league campaign that ended with them in first place, 5 points ahead of their closest challenger, Durham. The lows, an 8-7 loss to Durham in the National Championship final, have been heartbreaking.
This squad have given everything to their sport and has been prepared to fight until the very last second to prove just how good they are.
However, in this edition of Varsity, the squad came in with a different attitude than the one that was seen at Big BUCS Wednesday; this time, the focus was on enjoying themselves and playing as a team for a final time this season.
This is not to say that the usual quality was lacking; quite the opposite, the first two quarters were an evenly matched affair with both teams showing great quality in all areas of the field. Early in the game, UoN capitalised on a few mistakes made by the NTU defence to put them ahead by 2 goals.
Despite a lacklustre 10 minutes, the NTU team didn’t crumble; instead, a couple of aggressive attacking plays in quick succession brought them level and ensured the half ended 4-4.
Neither team made any massive tactical changes going into the third quarter, and instead, both teams tried to keep up the pace and momentum from the first half in the hopes that the other side would come unstuck.
Despite an early goal from UoN to make it 5-4, NTU got their wish. UoN struggled to defend the almost constant pressure from the Trent attack, and the third quarter ended 8-6 to the hosts.
The final quarter was sure to be a blockbuster as two points now separated the teams. Despite this, UoN looked calm as they walked onto the pitch. Their enjoyment was plain to see.
NTU’s Will Hodgson was the key difference maker in the final quarter, scoring the second goal and putting NTU 2 goals clear. In the final minutes of the quarter UoN managed to score and come within one point of NTU but they just couldn’t find the momentum.
An incredible attacking run and goal by NTU’s Drew Wilkinson sealed UoN’s fate. Varsity finished in a disappointing 12 –11 defeat for the Green and Gold.
However, as the final whistle blew, it became clear that in the end, the score mattered less than the chance to play together one last time.
Charlie Gadd
Featured image courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
