Cambridge University Women's Association Football Club (CUWAFC) made a strong start to their Midlands 2B League season on Wednesday afternoon as they held off a late University of East Anglia (UEA) charge to edge a 3–2 away victory. 

On a wet and windy day in Norwich, CUWAFC used the conditions to their advantage: despite fielding a team with a sizeable intake from the newly arrived freshers, the Light Blues employed the slick passing game of a team who had been playing together for seasons to great effect. And, when the three points looked under threat, there were solid individual performances at the back that were key to seeing the away side over the line.  

However, CUWAFC got off to a slow start, with the combination of old and new needing time to gel: in fact, the lack of pre-season friendly fixtures, all of which had regrettably fallen through, meant that this fixture was the Light Blues' first match together as a side. Meanwhile, the home side – playing on home turf at the Colney Lane Playing Fields – had already kicked off their league campaign with a 2–2 draw against the University of Bedfordshire and were looking sharp.

Indeed, if it were not for debutant Laura Bleehen in the Light Blues' goal, the CUWAFC might have fallen behind. UEA, who were looking well-drilled, were putting together some threatening moves and forced the Welshwoman into a string of spectacular diving saves. 

But the Light Blues used Bleehen's fine performance as a platform to build on. With confidence on the up, the away side launched into some swift counter-attacks that kept the UEA backline on their toes. And it was from this route that CUWAFC broke the deadlock: a flowing passing sequence gave debutant Zoe Cohen time and space and, after a clever turn in the centre of the park, executed the perfect lob from 25 yards over the home side's goalkeeper to score her first goal in a Light Blue shirt and take the score to 1–0. 

CUWAFC's cohesive passing moves were on display throughout the majority of the game, pleasing captain Gerda Bachrati. Speaking to Varsity after the match, she praised her side's ability to play in an "exciting, fast-paced and clinical way", observing that it "bodes really well for the rest of the season".

Moments after scoring the opener, the away side doubled their lead through yet another debutant, Liz Ashcroft. She employed her fearsome pace to latch onto a through-ball over the top and, from the wing, she fired a superb drive (or mishit a cross) that screamed past the UEA goalkeeper into the top corner. 

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The Light Blues smelled blood and for the rest of the half, they remained on the front foot. UEA were under the cosh, packing players in front of the goal to create a seemingly impenetrable yellow wall – though a dipping attempt from Ceylon Hickman almost found a way through, forcing the UEA goalkeeper into a smart save. But there were signs of the home side's potential threat in the last couple of minutes: a goal-line scramble following a corner saw CUWAFC ride their luck and just about manage to scrape the ball off the line to maintain their 2–0 lead going into the break. 

The Light Blues looked re-energised after the interval, thanks in part to the introduction of Alexis Crockett, Daisy Luff and Fiona Conlon from the bench. However, it was UEA that were able to open the second half's scoring: an inch-perfect through-ball saw their striker find herself clean through on goal and, one-on-one with Bleehen, she showed composure to slot the ball home. 

Eager to suppress a fightback from the home side, CUWAFC replied almost immediately: after building from the back and completing an impressive string of passes, Cohen nipped out from the centre of the pitch to tear along the right wing and put in a cross for the veteran Luff, whose first ever goal for CUWAFC was superbly taken: she expertly rounded defenders and fired her shot into the bottom corner to take the score to 3–1 and re-establish the Light Blues' comfortable two-goal cushion. 

The away side pressed forward, keen to put the match to bed. They laid siege upon the UEA penalty box, firing in cross after cross from both wings and sending in fierce attempts on the UEA goal from all sides, but somehow CUWAFC were unable to find that elusive fourth.

And they almost came to rue those missed chances: UEA sent the match into the proverbial 'squeaky bum time' by grabbing a goal, very much against the run of play, with 10 minutes to go in the match. Again, they capitalised on a corner as a firm header bounced off the inside of the post and rolled into the goal. This left the Light Blues' lead vulnerable, but the away side 'parked the bus' and played for possession to clinch a well-deserved first win of the season.

CUWAFC: Bleehen, Graves, Brown, Malley, Bachrati (c), Edwards, Gradin, Cohen, Ashcroft, Hirst, Horsler, Hickman

Substitutes: Conlon, Crockett, Luff