WOMEN'S FOOTBALL - Varsity Match 2011
Saturday 26 February 2011
The women’s football Blues lost narrowly on Saturday in their Varsity match against Oxford. The game had everything: controversy, a brilliant goal and a spiky atmosphere.
Several hundred supporters, including an unusually large and vocal number of Oxford fans, turned out to see Cambridge try and defend their Varsity title from last year, and the game got off to a rapid start, with a very high tempo. Cambridge’s key playmakers, Leesa Haydock and Maisie-Rose Byrne, were marked tightly, and therefore struggled to run the opposition’s defence ragged as they normally do. Byrne did beat her marker in one-on-ones on several occasions, and in one heart-stopping moment crossed the ball in brilliantly only for left mid Emma Eldridge to head just over the bar.
The Light Blues went into the break 1-0 down, however, as in one piece of high drama, Cambridge’s game plan was nearly destroyed. Oxford had a corner, and all but one of the Light Blues was back, with two players on the post. The ball came in, and a goalmouth scramble ensued, with the Dark Blues having several shots on goal saved. Then, Oxford midfielder Roni Yadlin shot. It was out of the goalkeeper’s reach. Cambridge’s left back, standing on the line, then flapped the ball off the line with her hand, in a Suarez-like move. Confusion followed. All of the players were convinced she would be sent off and a penalty given, but the referee, Ian Pacsu, decided to award the goal, and not show any cards. It took a good few seconds for everyone to realise what had happened. Cambridge heads went down – this was far from the game plan that had been set out before the match.
At half-time, Coach Dave Mosley, in his first Varsity match, gave a stirring team talk to try and get the team to up their performance and effort levels. The team needed to improve their passing, and become more lethal in front of goal.
What happened next will be ingrained into the memory of every Cambridge footballer for years to come. Bursting out of defence, Danielle Griffiths, came forward with the ball. From twenty yards inside the Cambridge half, she launched the ball forward, over the top of the Oxford defence. And over the Oxford goalkeeper. All of the Cambridge team ran from all over the pitch to celebrate, the supporters went wild. One fan, forgetting she was on crutches, leapt in the air to celebrate, and promptly fell down. Griffiths had scored a goal like David Beckham’s from long ago, only hers was better, as it was from much, much further out.
But this delirium was not to last long, however. Soon after, Oxford scored on the counterattack, and suddenly a game that had seemed all to play for was slipping out of Cambridge’s grasp. The Light Blues’ attackers were being bullied and harried on and off the ball, as the Oxford defence used rugby-like tactics, sometimes even bear-hugging the front two. A few words were exchanged between the two sides, egged on by the crowd.
As time slipped away, Cambridge were getting nowhere. Unable to find space and time on the ball, Cambridge’s dynamic centre midfield duo, Haydock and McGhee were unable to dominate as they usually do. With fifteen minutes to go, Clarkson was taken off, and Carr came on, and McGhee went up front, and the Light Blues played three at the back.
But it was not to be, and the final whistle went, Cambridge losing 2-1 to the Other Place. Oxford launched their usual Klinsmann celebration as ever, and Cambridge gathered in a huddle. The Light Blues’ supporters cheered them off, appreciating the effort that they had put in. Cambridge will get their revenge next year.
Cambridge 2 : 1 Oxford
