April 29, 2002

Cup Final results in Halifax/BUSA 11-a-side Championship, 2001 2002

Crewe & Alsager College regain BUSA/Halifax Championship

Colin Aldis

This was the 14th Championship Final for British Universities, with a repeat of last year's finalists, but this time Crewe &Alsager College (part of Manchester Metropolitan University) were victorious, after a 3-2 win over Loughborough.

This was the 3rd meeting in the final for the two teams, withLoughborough (champions 6 times) winning in 1994 and 2001, while for Crewe & Alsager, this was their 3rd title, after winning in 1996 and 1997, and being runners up in 1994 and 1995.

On a cool and blustery afternoon at Nottingham Loughborough started like champions,taking the lead after 10 minutes thanks to a brave header by Nadine Wild from a lobbed pass by Hannah Macey. Loughborough continued to create chances, but Crewe & Alsager looked dangerous on the occasional breakaway. Just before half-time, Crewe & Alsager equalised, wwhen a neat back header by Laura Barnes-Ellis off a long ball from the back, allowed Liz Cloke to break clear, beat a lunging tackle, and then slipping the ball under keeper Clare Farrow.

With the wind helping them Crewe & Alsager were more positive in the second half, and were close to taking the lead in the 61st minute with a neat chip that hit the inside of the right post, and Farrow punching away a sliced clearance. sAt the other end, Loughborough had a couple of chances to regain the lead.

Crewe & Alsager took the lead in the 74th minute when a ball fby Tracey Sloane was met by MVP LIndsey Johnson and lifted over the keeper. Just 80 seconds later, Jo Hearne struck an un-stoppable shot from almost 25 metres to tie the game up again. In the 80th minute, Laura Barnes-Ellis did well to control a clearance by Clare Farrow, and she returned it with a lofted shot from over 30 metres, which bounced far higher than anyone would have expected over the retreating keeper and into the goal. Three minutes into stoppage time, Loughborough had a great chance to equalise, when Nadine Wild collected a forward pass and tried to dribble the ball into goal, but from just a few metres, her shot was brilliantly saved by Kelly Roberts, with the loose ball allowing Lauren Marks to try a shot which was also blocked, and again it went loose, but Kirsty Matthews blasted it from 14 metres wide of the right post. Just seconds later, there were shrieks of joy for the Crewe players as they could celebrate winning the championship.

April 27, 2002
Final
Loughborough 2 Crewe & Alsager 3 at Nottingham University

April 24, 2002
Semi-final
Leeds Metro'N 0 Loughborough 3 at Sheffield University

April 17, 2002
Semi-final
Brighton 0 Crewe & Alsager 1 at Oxford University

March 13, 2002
Quarter-finals
Loughborough 5 Brunel Wl 2 after extra time
Leeds Metropolitan 3 Wolverhampton1 after extra time
Chichester 1 Crewe & Alsager 4
Brighton 0 Manchester 0 after extra time - Brighton won 3-2 on penalty kicks

February 27, 2002

1st play off round (last 16)
Loughborough 4 Liverpool Jm 2 after extra time
Brunel Wl 9 Southampton 0
Edinburgh 0 Leeds Metropolitan 0 after extra time Leeds won 4-3 on penalties
Wolverhampton 4 UWIC 1
Bristol 4 Chichester 5
Crewe & Alsager 4 Birmingham 1
Brighton 1 Oxford 0
Manchester 5 Stirling 2