Women’s Futsal beat Loughboro’ in thriller to progress to BUCS championship

Before Warwick Women’s Futsal faced Loughborough in their final league match on Saturday 12th January, it was still uncertain who would claim outright victory in the league.

Warwick had already encountered success in their first four matches, even being forced to stop at half-time against Nottingham due to the 10-goal ‘mercy-rule’.

Corresponding wins over Birmingham and Nottingham Trent were especially impressive considering their superior rankings in the normal BUCS football league.

The team were optimistic heading into the encounter against Loughborough after a strong 10-2 triumph over Derby, but still apprehensive over the unanimous reverence given to Loughborough’s reputation in university sport, allied with their strong league position.

Warwick opened the scoring with an excellent finish from leading striker Roseanna Deakin, setting a dramatic match in motion.

Loughborough were skilful and tactically adept, and the fast-paced nature of futsal meant they were quick to counter-attack.

At halftime, the score of 4-4 scarcely reflected the team’s hard work. However, countless acrobatic saves by goalkeeper Beth Griffiths also contributed to the score line remaining level.

The second half saw even more drama as Loughborough perfected their diamond formation; Warwick had to pull out all the defensive stops.

Rachel Ephraim, who was woman of the match, was outstanding in blocking shots and shutting down potentially dangerous two-on-one situations.

Counter-attacks provided Warwick with the goals needed to continually frustrate Loughborough, and even when the players started to tire, the speed and footwork of captain Justine Buckmire impressed throughout the second half.

In the final minutes a draw looked like the most likely result, but a final goal made the score 10-9 to Warwick.

With five wins in five games, and an automatic progression to the BUCS Futsal Championship, the future is looking bright for Warwick Women’s Futsal.