Loughborough University 8 Durham University 12
BUCS Big Wednesday saw Loughborough girls’ lacrosse team competing against Durham University in the Championship final.
Loughborough supporters were out in force for the game, cheers, chant and drumming could be heard right across the EHB area. Durham also had a group of supporters, which created a sea of purple at the side of the EHB sports pitch. Both teams also had the honour of meeting HRH Princess Anne before the game began, a sporting Royal herself.
The first quarter of the match began quite evenly, although Durham took the first goal in under a minute of play. The following five minutes saw both sides playing an equal, steady game of lacrosse until Durham scored again eight minutes in. Loughborough continued to pressurise their opposition, scoring ten minutes in, bringing the score to 1-2.
This was followed by a strong save by the Loughborough keeper, the game getting ever more tense until Loughborough equalised two minutes later. Up to this point, both teams seemed very evenly matched, but Durham proceeded to score another two goals within a couple of minutes, just before the whistle blew. This ended the first quarter of the game, 2-4.
The second part became much more heated and the pace sped up too. With both sides battling away to take the next goal, Loughborough took a shot which was saved by Durham’s keeper. Within a few minutes, Durham scored twice, making the score 2-6. Loughborough were continually persistent in their attack and brought the score to 3-6 a few minutes later. Durham were however slightly stronger by this point, scoring again two minutes later.
A yellow card was given to Durham, which was followed by two goals within a minute for Loughborough, who started to pull the game back. Loughborough’s next shot was saved and Durham scored again just before the whistle, bringing the half time score to 5-8.
The beginning of the second half seemed slightly calmer and saw Loughborough take the first goal. Home crowds were getting exceedingly rowdy by this point, but Durham were able to take the next two goals before the match reached its’ final quarter. Durham were winning by four goals, the score standing at 6-10.
The game appeared to be equally matched for the last fifteen minutes, Loughborough and Durham alternately scoring another two goals each. As a whistle was blown, Durham’s subs ran joyously onto the pitch, only to be ushered off by the umpire who continued play for another couple of minutes. Durham scored their final goal of the match during this time.
The final score was 8-12. The Durham team and supporters were exceedingly pleased, but Loughborough crowds remained supportive and were not disheartened. As the crowd continued to chant, it was clear that Loughborough were pleased with their performance, and had certainly not made the game an easy win for Durham University.
Photo Credit: Jazz Jefferies
