Uni’s Womens 1sts lost out to their strong Beckett opponents at Weetwood on Wednesday afternoon.

Uni went into this clash with a host of new players keen to stamp their mark on football at this level. And what better place to start than a varsity match against the Leeds Beckett who compete in the division above the Gryphons. The game began in a cagey manner, with both teams cautiously testing each other out. A recognised and experienced back four for uni proved solid in the opening stages, whilst the new and exciting forward players ensured a troublesome opening quarter for Beckett’s back four. That said, it was Beckett who opened the scoring on 20 minutes in a one-on-one encounter with uni’s keeper.

Uni’s heads remained high however and this proved vital as within 5 minutes they went to the other end and equalised through a well worked goal involving good movement and passing from numerous players. For the remainder of the first half, the exchange of play was even, with both teams growing in confidence. A blow to uni’s hopes came however on 38 minutes when Beckett went 2-1 up. This remained the score at the interval.

Uni knew going into the second half that they had to match Beckett in every department if they were to stand a chance of getting back into this game. They started off brightly and pressed Beckett high up the pitch. However, they were caught on the break again with a long ball from defence to attack that gave Beckett’s striker the chance that she made the most of as she latched onto the end of the pass and slotted it home to make the score 3-1 to Beckett.

Uni never let their heads drop though and continued to plague Beckett’s defence. They got their reward with 15 minutes to go when a delightful through ball from defence was latched onto by uni’s striker to make the score 3-2. Uni knew that they needed to keep pressing and missed numerous good chances. With 3 minutes to go though, Beckett put themselves out of sight and shattered the hopes of uni with a breakaway goal making the final score 4-2.

A defeat therefore, but one which plenty of positives can be taken from. Even though Beckett triumphed in the end, Uni showed great determination, and managed two excellent goals.

 

Kayley Dickinson