Inaugural Men’s and Ladies Hockey Varsity end with mixed emotions

This was the first time the Ladies Hockey club had been involved in a Varsity game, whereas the Men’s club were playing in their fourth annual game. The build-up to the games was electric and the atmosphere around the pitch and in the pavilion was intense.

The Ladies started at 15:00 in front of an enthusiastic 250 spectators against a high quality Nottingham side, with high hopes of continuing their winning streak. The last time the two sides met it ended in a 5-4 win to Exeter on penalty flicks after a 1-1 draw in normal time. Exeter dominated the game throughout winning 4 – 1 with excellent leadership from Captain Kathryn Lane and Vice-captain Izzy Grigg, both of whom were playing in defence. Man of the Match went to Meg Crowson for her tireless work up front; she has undoubtedly asserted herself as a real player to watch in the future. In particular, one superb solo effort from Crowson saw the ball finishing in the roof of the net in true crowd-pleasing fashion, sealing the game for Exeter.

The Men’s team then took to the pitch to take on the consistently strong and defending champions Loughborough, with the crowd building up to a noisy 800. Exeter took the lead after 20 minutes through crowd favourite Ali Williams, a goal which set the tone for an exciting brand of Hockey. Loughborough drew level soon after the break with the game tight and tense all the way to the dreaded penalty flicks. The crowd were fully behind the Exeter men in a dramatic penalty flick finale with Loughborough coming through 5-4.

The support for both teams was fantastic and the games showcased the quality and strength of Hockey at the University of Exeter and the Hockey clubs hope that this combined with superb sports facilities encourages more and more people to play hockey.

The hockey clubs would like to thanks all those who supported this inaugural event and made it possible including the following sponsors; Skins, Whey Protein, Subway, Redbull, Spotify, Flight Phys and YoungOnes Apparel, the support from both local and national companies was both overwhelming and greatly appreciated.

Alison Davidson, Director of Sport was delighted by the support shown for this inaugural event and proud of both sides, “This was an excellent spectacle for the University of Exeter with both clubs coming together to host two high profile knockout fixtures. The Ladies secured a superb victory and many congratulations to them. Despite taking the lead the Men lost in agonising fashion against a strong Loughborough side. Good luck to the Ladies in the Semi-finals.” Alison Davidson, Director of Sport.

About the University of Exeter

The University of Exeter is a Russell Group university and in the top one percent of institutions globally. It combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction. Exeter has over 19,000 students and is ranked 7th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide league table, 10th in The Complete University Guide and 12th in the Guardian University Guide 2014. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 90% of the University’s research was rated as being at internationally recognised levels and 16 of its 31 subjects are ranked in the top 10, with 27 subjects ranked in the top 20. Exeter was The Sunday Times University of the Year 2012-13.

The University has invested strategically to deliver more than £350 million worth of new facilities across its campuses in the last few years; including landmark new student services centres - the Forum in Exeter and The Exchange on the Penryn Campus in Cornwall, together with world-class new facilities for Biosciences, the Business School and the Environment and Sustainability Institute. There are plans for another £330 million of investment between now and 2016.

www.exeter.ac.uk

For more information contact:
Andrew Fry, Marketing Manager
01392 725119
a.g.fry@exeter.ac.uk