An organised and experienced Leeds team saw off Leeds Met in exciting fashion with a score of 21-5 during the Women’s 1st Lacrosse game at Weetwood.
Uni dominated early on with the first goal coming in the second minute with fresher Caitlin Baty pulling the strings in midfield. Met meanwhile looked lost and un-organised, unable to compete with the pace of the Uni attack. The attack of Jess Puntan, Cecily Melsom and Rosanna Single throughout the game proved too much for an unsettled Met defence with Uni scoring 6 goals within the first 15 minutes.
Uni continued to dominate heading into half time with the Uni midfield dictating play. Met were forced to call a time-out but to no avail as the experience of the Uni midfield continued to lead the Uni barrage on the helpless Met defence. Uni missed a penalty at the 20 minute mark yet stayed composed retaining much of the possession.
The first prominent Met attack occurred late on the first half with the first wave efficiently mopped up before Met scored against the run of play. Jess Puntan responded for Leeds with a great goal turning two Met players inside out behind the goal and finishing the move off with a rocket in the bottom left hand corner finishing the half at 12-1 Uni.
The second half again saw Uni dominate play with a brilliant interception and long pass by Grace Howarth resulting in a goal for Uni. Uni’s performance however faltered with a lead of 13-1 when Met played with more precision. Met scored two consecutive goals despite the best efforts of the Uni keeper, Fatima Lookmanjee, who had an excellent game ensuring Uni kept their substantial lead.
Good pressure from midfield reinvigorated the defence which kept the marking tight and defensive line high. The combination of Georgie Single, Caitlin and Grace continued to trouble the Met team and with the Uni defence communicating and keeping their discipline, Uni went on yet another scoring streak with 3 goals with no reply. Emma Reynolds and Harriet Newton also put in impressive performances with their enthusiasm complimenting the senior players well.
Met made some attempt to reduce the deficit after a time-out with a goal resulting from lapse of concentration by the Uni defence. Nonetheless, Uni continued to run the ball well with an offside attempt followed by another goal. Met made a quick break following the draw which was excellently rebuffed by a brilliant save by the Uni keeper, Fatima. The latter stages of the game saw the Uni team tire and loss of discipline with a yellow card. The experience of the Uni team however showed with India Gurmail Kauffman winning the ball back from deep breaking up Met play and giving the Uni midfield the time and space to unleash a swift counter attack resulting in a goal. With less than a minute left, Met increased the tempo hitting the bar before another Uni attack finished Met off with a score of 21-5.
Author: Josh Jalal