Wednesday 6th February

Marston Pitches, Oxford

Oxford University WLC 5-5 Cambridge University WLC

More than Blue pride was at stake when the women’s lacrosse team travelled to Oxford for their final match of the BUCS South Premiership league, as the lighter hue of Cambridge needed only a draw against their oldest rivals to secure the league title for the seventh consecutive season.

The Blues had begun February with two victories that brought them closer to their league title. Southampton, recently up from the 1A leagues, were on the receiving end of a 21-6 trouncing, Georgie Prichard leading the way for Cambridge with 7 goals before the Blues hosted Bath last Saturday in a rescheduled match that proved another easy victory; the score an uneven 21-1. Both games proved useful opportunities for the Blues to experiment with new offensive plays and transitional strategies, setting them up well for the crucial grudge match.

Having topped the Dark Blues at home in November, and with both teams first and second in the league respectively, all was to play for in the Thames Valley on Wednesday afternoon. The teams exchanged possession in the first ten minutes of play, with both goalkeepers coming up trumps, and the breakthrough came when Dani Allard struck for Cambridge.  Oxford, however, proved that they would not be the pushover team they were in November, scoring twice in quick succession from two intelligently worked feeding plays. After a timeout and revitalising team talk, the Light Blues came out with all guns blazing and Laura Plant netted the equalizer for Cambridge to send the teams into halftime with the game delicately balanced at 2-2. 

Oxford began the second half the brighter of the two sides, scoring quickly before Allard notched her second of the game only minutes later to bring the Blues back on level terms. Alana Livesey then scored a blazer to put Cambridge into the ascendancy, but Oxford continued to press, finding numerous attempts to be scuppered by the point-blank reflex saves of Erin Walters. Finally managing to capitalise on their crease-driving play, Oxford levelled before moving into the lead with only four minutes remaining.

With the league title appearing to slip away from their grasp, Cambridge refused to let their heads drop and, In a moment worthy of the Hollywood sports reel, they won the ensuing draw and executed a dynamic attacking transition which culminated in an unbelievable low-angle finish from co-captain Anna Pugh. Title celebrations beckoned as the final whistle blew with the scores at 5 apiece.

Credit in this low-scoring match goes to the Cambridge defensive unit, led by Suki Ritchie and co-captain Walters, who held Oxford’s international players to naught and denied all three of the Dark Blues’ penalty shot attempts. The day proved an overall success for the women’s lacrosse club, as Kingfishers captain Marina Lindsay Brown combined calm leadership with lethal attacking instincts to set the tone for a dominant display against UCL, a 12-5 victory securing their place in the quarter-finals of the BUCS Trophy play-offs.

With BUCS Championship play-offs beginning on 13th February, the Light Blues are well prepared from their early Lent term games and from their team training sessions, and have grown solidly as a squad both on and off the pitch. The squad has proven tough all season and both the Blues and Kingfishers Varsity matches on 23 February promise to showcase exciting top-level university lacrosse.