Lions Take On Panthers
30/10/2010
Cambridge won 9-5
The Blues lacrosse team made the long travel south to face main league rivals Brighton in a game that would play a big role in deciding the final standings. Last season Cambridge were narrowly beaten at Brighton and so the Light Blues turned up looking for revenge, as well as an opportunity to continue their fine start to the season.
Cambridge’s 13 man squad was heavily outnumbered by the Panthers, but this certainly didn’t show as the first quarter got under way. Once again, Dan Montgomery dominated the majority of the face offs for Cambridge and this would prove to be a crucial advantage later on in the game. The first goal, however, came through ex-Brighton midfielder Rob Day who showed excellent vision in a well place bounce shot. Defensively, Cambridge were outstanding and showed all the signs of a well drilled defensive unit, more than able to deal with the Brighton offensive players.
The first quarter ended 3-0, though there was still much left to be done. The Light Blues were determined to win the little victories; being the first to every ground ball, forcing their attack to make difficult passes and making the right shot selection. By the end of the first half, Cambridge were storming ahead with a 6-1 lead. The goal tally was added to by contributions from Captain Duncan Barrigan, Carl Tilbury, and a couple of outstanding goals from the ever-present Dan Montgomery. The single goal scored by Brighton came through an unsettled situation, a simple failure to mark the attacking players quickly enough.
The second half saw the small Cambridge squad begin to tire as well as the Brighton squad step up their game. Cambridge now began holding the ball for long periods of time, simply passing it around the attack to run out the clock, though not being afraid to take advantage of opportunities arising from a frustrated Brighton team. The third quarter resulted in a 1-1 draw and the final quarter another 2-2 draw, leaving a final score of 9-5 to the Light Blue war machine.
By Sam Spurrell