Ollie Stevenson
UoN Ladies Lacrosse edged a frantic encounter with Varsity rivals Trent, recovering from an early three-goal deficit before holding off a late NTU fightback to claim a 10-8 win after a match defined by momentum swings, individual quality and a decisive final-quarter surge.
The Green and Gold began brightly in the opening exchanges, applying early pressure and looking to settle into their attacking rhythm. However, it was NTU who took the early advantage, as Zoey Lind opened the scoring before helping force a turnover shortly afterwards.
With UoN struggling to convert their possession into goals, NTU doubled their advantage late in the first quarter. A further save from UoN keeper Amelia Harrison prevented the deficit from growing, leaving NTU 2-0 ahead at the end of the opening quarter.
UoN looked for a response in the second quarter and nearly found one through a clever hidden-ball play. The Green and Gold huddled together with their backs to the NTU defence, disguising the ball carrier before breaking into attack, but the move narrowly failed to produce a goal.
Instead, Trent struck again to make it 3-0, leaving UoN with work to do.
The response, though, was impressive. UoN got their first of the evening shortly afterwards, before Carys Johnson produced one of the moments of the match, driving through the NTU defence with a brilliant solo run to cut the deficit to 3-2.
UoN’s momentum continued as they levelled the score at 3-3, but NTU’s goalkeeper then came up with a crucial save to deny the Green and Gold the lead. That stop proved even more important moments later, as Trent went straight up the other end to restore their advantage before half-time.
The second half began at a much higher tempo, with UoN immediately drawing level through another excellent solo run. NTU responded to move 5-4 ahead, but by this stage the game had become a back-and-forth contest, with neither side able to hold significant momentum for long enough to build a lead.
The scoreline continued to creep upwards, with NTU repeatedly edging in front only for UoN to pull them back. A crucial UoN goal late in the third quarter ensured both sides entered the final period level at 6-6.
It was in the final quarter, though, that UoN’s experience and quality finally told. An early fourth-quarter goal gave them the lead for the first time in the fixture, and the shift in momentum proved decisive.
NTU’s defence, which had stood firm for much of the match, began to offer UoN more openings, and the Green and Gold punished them clinically.
UoN quickly extended their advantage to 9-6, before a fourth unanswered goal made it 10-6 and appeared to put the game beyond NTU. However, the hosts refused to fade quietly, striking twice late on to narrow the deficit and briefly threaten a comeback.
UoN, though, had already done enough. After spending much of the match chasing the game, the Green and Gold saw out the final stages to secure a hard-fought 10-8 victory.
It may not have been the most dramatic confirmation of the overall Varsity result, given UoN’s already commanding position in the series, but it was a fitting one. after a difficult opening quarter, the Green and Gold showed composure, patience and clinical edge to turn the game around and formally confirm Nottingham’s Varsity triumph.
Ollie Stevenson
Featured Image Courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
