15/3/17

2s v LJMU

On Wednesday the 2nd’s took on Liverpool John Moores for the first time this season, after both away matches were cancelled due to bad pitches in Liverpool. Playing at Armitage and the weather meant the team were in great spirits and raring to go. Manchester got the first draw and this translated into a quick goal by none other than miss Steph Kiss to put us one up. Liverpool responded by winning the next draw and getting it down to their attacking third, but manchester's tight bucket defence secured the ball back and we were able to get a fast break down the pitch to secure the second goal of the day. Throughout the game Manchester played a great game, with only a few slip ups in the midfield transition causing Liverpool to turn it over. The final score was 19-2 to Manchester.

8/3/17

1s v Durham 3s, won 21-5

On Wednesday 8th, both UoM woman's 1sts and Durham 3s plays their final league game, and for the first ever time at Manchester's Armitage ground. Because of the location manchester had a great turn out of supporters ranging from friends, flat mates and other sports teams. Throughout the game manchester were in their stride keeping the majority of ball possession as well and ensuring the score board was on their side. But even with this Durham 3s never stoped fighting, driving the ball hard as soon as they had possession. At times it became quite physical, especially during ground balls, with plays flying and falling everywhere, as well as members from both teams coming out of the game with a few injuries (although this was also aided by the terrain played on). With the final score being 21-5 to manchester, there were some major highlights throughout, with Lettie Bromovsky coming out with Mom for her fire and fight throughout the game and Alex Hickey achieving Dick of the day for her cracking header from an incoming cleared ball from oppositions goaly, but did this slow her down? No it did not

1/3/17

2s v Lancaster, won 9-7

A sunny afternoon was the perfect setting for a win. With some wonderful spectators to cheer us on we started with a quick goal by star player, Emma Saunders. The match became very closely contested and the first half ended in a draw after 2 more goals were tossed in the net by Kitty Bartlett and Emily Osborn. The team hustled, rearing for the second half. With better communication from the defence and a calmer attack we managed to gain a lead thanks, again, to Emma. The match was very tight but with a few more goals from Steph Kiss and Kitty we widened the score gap. Lancaster never gave up however, and the the gap was never comfortably kept, with a nail biting last few minutes. Manchester managed to hold off any equalising from Lancaster, finishing 9-7. Well fought, everyone!

22/2/17

2s v Liverpool, lost 18-2

When preparing to play against Liverpool, the team knew that it would be challenging, and with several key players not present, everyone knew it would be more of a challenge. However, the team as a whole came out strong, gaining more confidence as the game moved along, with Emily scoring the first goal before half time, which was difficult in it self, as the Liverpool defence was strong. With extra confidence, motivation and a fighting spirit, the team found some strength and went out fighting for the last half, with Beth dominating both the attack, and defence, providing much needed help. Diarra (goal) was especially impressive deflecting many potential goals as the match moved along swiftly. Furthermore, Emma was the back bone for the team, fighting in the centre, defence and attack, scoring a goal just before full time. The team came out fighting, and although the loss was significant, with a loss of 18-2, the praise from the other team and the experienced referee, shows the teams motivation to prove their strength and visible improvement during the tough season.

8/2/17

1s v Durham 2s, Lost 10-9

In a tense match against Durham 2s our first team unfortunately suffered a narrow loss of 1 goal. Despite being down 4 goals in the first half, the girls fought back and scored 5 goals in the second half, narrowing the score. There was a great hustle in defence, as the ball moved back into attack for a tense final 5 minutes, in which 2 goals were scored. Man of the match went to Hannah Schofield for a great performance in defence.

2s v Chester, Won 9-4

After a hard fight this week, the 2’s were on top and saw a well-deserved win against Chester. Manchester started strong with Georgia Eaton securing the draw, as she did throughout the match. We managed to get the first 3 goals in the first 15 minutes scored by from Emily Osborn, Steph Kiss and Emma Saunders. By the end of the second half Manchester were 6-3 up after some serious sprinting and great team work over all. The second half carried on well, however Chester had stepped their game up so it meant a tougher fight, despite this defence played strong particularly in executing a great bucket defence method. 3 more goals were scored in the second half by MVP of the day Steph Kiss who showed some excellent stick skills and goal placement throughout the match, 1 of them due to her managing to entice the goalie out of the goal. Special note to be made for Emma's zigzag technique for slowing the opposition down during their transitions. A spectacle to watch and very frustrating for Chester! The final score was 9-4 to Manchester. A shout out to all the players for their hard work and determination today #winningwednesdays

1/2/17

1s v Leeds, won 12-8

The first game back after the Christmas break was a hugely important in terms of league positions and consequently, there was a tense build up. Manchester were able to take an early lead with some great work on the draw by Liv Wimpenny and clinical shooting from Lizzie Collinson. However, as expected Leeds fought back hard and the half ended 9-5. The second half was just as feisty and end to end. Manchester were able withstand waves of attack from Leeds but struggled to keep the ball under intense pressure. It was a relief for both teams when the final whistle blew. Final score- 12-8 to Manchester. MoM Lettie Bromosky for some fantastic stick work in transition and DoD to Jenny for being the eldest yet most feisty player on the pitch.

2s v MMU, lost 20-8

Wednesday 1st Feb saw UoM seconds taking on MMU firsts in an 11 vs 11 match due to low numbers on the UoM team. MMU got off to a strong start, with Manchester improving after a time out. Getting the ball from the centre draw was evenly matched and was key to which team had the advantage to score which made the game more competitive. In the first half there was a lot great passes in the attacking area helping to set each other up for 4 great goals, 3 being scored by Georgia Eaton and 1 goal by Steph Kiss. After a much needed half time, MMU continued their goal scoring but Manchester had some great pitch length runs to bring us back to finish 20-8 with defensive player Emma Saunders scoring 3 goals and attacker Emily Osborn scoring 1. Three players stood out during the match, Lauren Neil, Georgia Eaton and Emma Saunders. Overall the game was a hard fought match, everyone was happy especially being the first game of 2017 after a long break off the pitch. Although the score wasn't what we wanted, seeing how well we played individually gives us confidence for when we have a full team for the rest of the season.

30/11/16

1s vs York, won 18-4

Another great win for manchester this Wednesday in their second game against York with final score being 18-4! From the off manchester struggled at the draw with York winning the ball more times then expected, but even so due to great team work from the deface and midfield we were always capable of turning the ball around. Within the first half York showed great determination in wanting the ball always being first there to the ground balls, but after a team talk at half time we were able to gather up motivation and fight even more in the final half. Honorable mentions to Gabby Tasker for winning man of the match and both Liv Wade-Smith and Liv Wimpeny for conceding 4-5 goals each within the match! Another mention to Alex Hickey for getting dick of the day due to her tremendous own goal in her attempt in passing back to the goalie, this also being her first ever goal within a match!

2s vs Lancaster, lost 12-7

Wednesday 30th November brought with it the 2s final match of 2016. It was certainly an interesting match, playing under somewhat precarious conditions: with one ref who was still continuing her training proved difficult to ensure a good clean game from both teams. Manchester started very well securing the first 2 goals from co-captain Kitty Bartlett and Steph Kiss in the first 5 minutes. Lancaster however equalised and took the lead with the half time score being 9-5. Manchester became slightly disheartened after our winning start had been turned over but rallied up as a team and genuinely played our best lacrosse as a team this year. The match was a great progression reaching the end of the first semester. The second half brought more fight from both sides with play getting continuously more scrappy as we tired. Co-captain Emily Osborn earned DOD with a yellow card after an incident with a stick in a Lancaster girl's face after first draw of the half.. wrists slapped! Fortunately however most of the fouls caused were accidental and the match concluded without bitterness. MVP this week goes to Emma Saunders for consistently fantastic interceptions of clears and turning the ball over from defence into attack. The match finished 12-7 to Lancaster, but Manchester are anything but disheartened, coming home feeling proud of our own achievements and eager to work on our game for 2017. Purple and proud!

23/11/16

1s vs Sterling, won 19-0

After a brutal 6am start, a fairly depleted squad of 11 began the 5 hour scenic journey to Stirling. The game got underway with a first goal from our captain Jenny Hobbiss, which kickstarted a great moral for the rest of the game! At half time, the score was a solid 10-0. Defence did a cracking job making sure we didn't concede a goal, whilst 8/11 of our team scored goals (including a great goal from Rachel Khaw, who rarely ventures into attack). A massive thank you goes to the University of Manchester Women's Rugby team who's match was cancelled in Dundee, who cheered us on from the get go, till the very end, despite the minus degree weather! Man of the match went to Hannah Heslop, for some awesome fast breaks, where as dick of the day went to Lizzie Collinson for failing to convert a perfectly set up fast break. Minor dicks of the day were Minna and Lettie, who both hit the goalie. With no subs on the sideline, and one man down, we played incredibly fluently, finishing the game with a great score of 19-0 to UoM!

2s Cup Match vs Keele 2s, won 15-1

On 23rd November Manchester 2nds played Keele seconds and won 15-1. The game got off to a great start with Manchester winning the majority of the draws. Emily Osborn set the standards high when scoring 3 goals within the first 10 minutes and Manchester continued to make successful breaks to maintain the lead. Kitty continued the winning streak with a great goal that was intended to be a pass! Defence stayed strong applying pressure to Keele attack and not allowing them many shots on target. Steph, Georgia and Madge boosted Manchester's advantage with another goal from all three. Keele secured one goal but Diara quickly cleared it and possession returned back to Manchester. After half time Keele improved their game play, in particular with their defence tactics but Manchester continued to drive and dodge around the defence. Kitty boosted her scoring streak adding 3 more to the tally. The team decided kitty should get man of the match for scoring 7 of the 15 goals!

16/11/16

1s Cup Match Vs Bangor

The game got off to a slow start, with 5 misses on goal and one goal to Bangor. following this Manchester stepped up our game after a stern talk from Chloe and some rough ground balls. Liv Wimpenny brought it back and scored first goal and liv wade-smith pulled out a cracking worm burner. From here on we picked up our game leading to 13-1 at half time.

After half time we decided to slow down the pace and keep possession. Liv wade-smith take 2
Whipped out a newly learnt riser shot. Even winning praise from Chloe, however it didn't last long as she was soon sent off for a check to the head. Special mention to Jenny Hobbiss playing every position on pitch with energy levels constantly high. All in all a great win of 22-2, well played girls.

Quote of the day = "well played to Annie some great saves" -Chelsea, Bangor

9/11/16

1sts V Durham 3s, Won 18-4

After a mix up of pick up location and braving the snow on the M62 the Manchester 1s eventually arrived in Durham where the decision was made to start the match early due to the weather. The girls were pumped having smashed the Durham 2s the week before and started out very strong with great draw control from Liv Wimpenny that continued throughout the game. Our attackers played well together whilst the defence stood freezing at the other end of the pitch. We finished at half time 12-2. The second half wasn’t as pretty, the girls lost their heads slightly due to lack of fitness (lol) but managed to pull it back together towards the end with some beautiful goals from Liv Wade-Smith. The final score was 18-4 to the purple gals. MoM - Liv Wade-Smith for her never-ending effort and sick goals. DotD - Hannah Heslop for missing 3/3 goals by centimetres and managing to spend more time on her knees than her feet.

2/11/16

1sts V Durham 2s, Won 20-11

On Wednesday 2nd November, UoM 1st team took on the much dreaded and so far undefeated Durham 2s. Easily considered our toughest game in the league, we were eager to defend our winning streak on home soil. It was an incredibly close match in the first half, with the teams only one or two goals apart by the half time whistle. However, early into the second half it was clear who the top team in purple was, with Manchester’s Liv Wimpenny winning the draws and beating Durham on the fast break. Their defense had no chance against the likes of fresher Lettie Bromovsky and our amazing MoM, the quick footed and perfectly timed cutter, Lizzie Collinson. The final score was a triumphant 20-11, and with coach Chan *almost* moved to tears from our outstanding performance, she treated the whole team to a well-deserved Bev at the bar.

2nds V Liverpool, Lost

9/11/16

1sts V Durham 3s, Won 18-4

26/10/16

2nds V Chester, Lost 11-5

Wednesday the 26th of October saw UoM second team take on Chester 1st’s away at Chester. Chester got off to a strong start scoring quick consecutive goals straight off the draw. After a few minutes and a time out from the Manchester side we were able to get our defence more settled and pick out their key attackers, enabling us to turn the ball over and get it down to attack. Man of the Match went to Emma who had some incredible interceptions and great pitch length runs down to our attacking end. In the first half Georgia scored to absolute pingers to put us at a half time score of 7-2. The second half got off to a cracking start with Kitty scoring straight away thanks to a beautiful assist from Georgia. Whilst Chester were quick to respond we really held our own in the second half and played our own game, with Kitty scoring off a penalty and Emily getting a smashing quick-stick to goal shot. Due to increasing tensions between both teams it started to become a bit violent with two of our players getting yellow cards (woops) and a few Chester players hurting themselves.

All in all everyone was happy and we felt the score line didn’t quite reflect the way we played with the final score being 11-5 Chester. We were able to see a vast improvement both individually and as a team from our first match and this is very encouraging for the rest of the season.

19/10/16

1sts V York, Won 18-6

After showing some impressive problem-solving skills having been dropped off at the wrong campus, UoM Women's lacrosse 1st team arrived at the pitch with 5 mins to spare and had a short but intense warm up. Perhaps unsurprisingly after the previous stresses, it was York who drew first blood, scoring the first goal from a fast break. This proved a catalyst for the Manchester team, who responded by scoring 4 unanswered goals, on the break from Liv Wimpenny and from Ellie Jones, during settled possession The game proceeded to ebb and flow, with Manchester maintaining much of the possession but York still a threat with strong runners on the fast break. Half time score- 10-3

The second half was a much more up and down affair and the game became more scrappy as the players tired. Some gritty defence was needed as Manchester held the York attack for minutes at a time, often being saved by some impressive goal keeping from Fresher Annie Ferris. After a time out, and a stern talking to from coach Chan, the team gathered their composure and gained back control. Some great team moves ended with impressive goals, notably Lizzie Collinson. At the final whistle, the score was a conclusive 18-6 victory for the girls in purple. A great result, with lots to work on. MoM- Annie Ferris for some great shot stopping and clears. DotD- Jenny Hobbiss for throwing a paddy (despite being 25)

2nds V MMU, Lost 19-4

On Wednesday 17th October the second team played our first game of the season against MMU. We fought hard the whole game and played extremely well for our first game together. Contrary to having a bit of a slow start, we settled into our positions very quickly and it took little time for us to start working smoothly as a team. We walked away with a score of 19:4 favouring MMU, with our four goals being scored by Georgia Eaton, Kitty Bartlett and Abi Haffenden in the first half. Kitty also scored again in the second half. Despite the loss, spirits were high following the game and we all look forward to getting back on the field again as a team!

12/10/16

1sts v Bangor, Won 18-2

On Wednesday 12th October the University of Manchester Women's Lacrosse 1st team played their first match this season at home against Bangor University, with a score of 18-2. We can easily say that they were the best team that we have played this season, scoring 2 impressive goals as our defence ran away from the ball. But we scored so many goals that unfortunately we can’t even remember who scored which goal. However the first goal of the season was scored by our Co-Captain Ellie Jones within the first minute, because she’s so dreamy. Due to our awesome playing, coach Chloe tied our hands a little as we were no longer allowed to check and made the attack settle the ball before scoring. The attack used this as an opportunity to practice our plays and picks and when the ball did make it down to defence, they too used it to practice their communication skills. Our goalie Annie Ferris made some great saves from shots on goal by Chelsea, their most experienced player, making her (Annie, not Chelsea) this week’s man of the match. However Minna Trotter made this week’s dick of the day by being hit in the face by another person’s stick, making her look like she’d done the Kylie Jenner lip challenge. With a draw at 25 seconds to go, Liv Wimpenny made a hail Mary pass to Lizzie Collinson (Club captain, did you know?) who was standing right next to the goal, and she made an absolutely beautiful shot, as we all watched the ball fly right over the goal, keeping the score at 18-2. Well done girls we all love a winning Wednesday and let’s keep this up.