It certainly was a day to chant “Loughborough Walks on Water” as the Ladies Hockey team stormed to victory with a 4-1 win against Durham yesterday.
Adding to the many wins Loughborough had across ‘D-Day’, the Women’s 1st’s team performed an amazing 70 minutes of hockey for their supporters. With music playing out loud and a commentator on the microphone announcing the score, this lively, fast paced match was not one to miss!
With pushback at 3:30pm the match initially started to settle after 30 minutes of play when Loughborough took the lead after Hannah Cousin scored the first goal of the match from an attacking short corner. The hockey girls really started to play well together as a team and shook of the Durham defenders by winning another short corner only ten minutes later. Durham fouled, leaving them with only three defenders and their goal keeper in their defensive goal. Loughborough took full advantage of Durham briefly having a player down, as Meg Louise Williams finished the job and scored Loughborough’s second goal of the game.
By this point the team were really in the swing of things. Just after the supporters had finished cheering for the goal, Loughborough had already scored their third goal of the match! Only three minutes later and Ellie Tate scored a quick goal that some spectators missed because it was so skilful. The score was 3-0 to Loughborough at half time.
Durham must have had an inspiring team talk at half time as they started to fight to stay in the match but the Loughborough girls were always one step ahead. They knew when Durham were going to pass the ball wide, therefore, they made some lovely interceptions. Durham started to get passionate for some goals but Loughborough’s goal keeper made a fantastic double save. The second half started to press on and the supporters were starting to freeze. For moments we thought the final score would be 3-0.
We needn’t question the score for much longer as some fantastic hockey was being played down the left hand side of the pitch. The ball was dribbled into Loughborough’s attacking D and Nicole Allan tucked away the ball nicely in the back of the goal to make the score 4-0. The supporters were amazed by such talented and skilful hockey yet the girls may have celebrated too soon as they gave away an attacking short corner to Durham.
Number 6 for Durham scored the goal they had been longing for, only a few minutes after Loughborough’s fourth goal. Durham didn’t give up fighting for the match but the final whistle blew and supporters knew Loughborough had done it again!
The match was full of fast paced running, goals, green cards, injuries, but there was of course only one outcome. Loughborough walking on water, and the Ladies 1st team winning 4-1.
Flic Carr
