FOOTBALL - Cambridge win the Women's Varsity Match
Thursday 25 March 2010
Cambridge Women 1-0 Oxford Women
Cambridge's Women Footballers comfortably took victory in their Varsity Match in Oxford, the eventual 1-0 scoreline not reflecting the extent to which they dominated their Dark Blue counterparts.
Hordes of travelling supporters greeted the Cambrige team, on an Oxford pitch that was badly cut up in places. The Light Blues bossed the show from the outset, captain Leesa Haydock coming close twice in the first ten minutes, seeing one shot deflected by an opposition defender and the other forcing a good save from the Oxford shot-stopper. Emma Eldridge also had a couple of excellent chances from free-kicks, one of which went agonisingly close to giving the visitors the lead.
The Cambridge girls must have felt their luck was out, when a series of corners came to nothing and several opportunities went unconverted. A clear foul on Catherine Murphy inside the Oxford box then went unpunished, adding to the Light Blues' mounting frustration. The Oxford team lacked any attacking presence though; Cambridge keeper Sara Haenzi didn't have a single save to make during the first period.
The deadlock was finally broken with 40 minutes on the clock. Speedster Maisie-Rose Byrne linked up nicely with Ashley Winslow, their one-two leading to a searching cross from Byrne which found fox-in-the-box Kate Robinson unmarked. With only the keeper to beat, Robinson stayed cool and slotted the ball home into the top-right corner.
Robinson was unlucky not to double her personal tally a few moments later as Cambridge caught Oxford napping, only to have the goal disallowed for a rather dubious offside.
The half-time break was marred by controversy. A heated debate arose between the sides about one the eligibility of one of the Oxford players which resulted in the player in question not returning to the field for the second half. Despite this set-back, Oxford looked an improved side in the second half. Nonetheless, all their efforts were thwarted by the Cambridge defence, Eldridge and Murphy holding off the Oxford strikers whilst Griffiths and Bellfield ensured that their wingers had nowhere to run. Haenzi still had little to do.
At the other end of the pitch, Kate Robinson was again denied by some questionable refereeing. Clean through on the Oxford goal, Robinson was cynically hacked down from behind. The referee, amazingly, did nothing, sending the Cambridge supporters into frenzy and even eliciting a look of surprise from the Oxford coach.
As it happened, the decision proved inconsequential and Cambridge closed the game out with relative ease.
