Cathedral Cup 2017 - match report
The University of Lincoln (UoL) celebrated a 5-1 victory in the third Cathedral Cup against Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) at Sincil Bank on Wednesday night.
Oliver Lawrence put UoL in the lead, but BGU bit back with an equaliser from Luke Hornsey in the first-half.
However, the Swans dominated their opposition in the second 45 minutes with four goals – a hat-trick from forward Lewis Weaver and a penalty strike from Baxter Smith – to win the cup.
The clash got off to a slow start, with the first shot of the game coming in the 15th minute. UoL won a free-kick 25-yards out, but Louis Sae-be’s effort was poor, as it bounced well wide of the left post.
Inside 31 minutes, the game had its first goal when UoL took a 1-0 lead. Weaver, swung a corner kick to the far post and full-back Lawrence headed the ball against the inside of the post, before nestling into the back of net.
With an immediate response, BGU hit back with an equaliser. Nat D’Rosario did well to keep the ball at his feet after a series of challenges before laying it to Sean James on the left-wing, who whipped in an inviting cross for Hornsey to poke the ball into the bottom corner.
Minutes later, BGU were looking to take the lead for the first time in the game. A long throw-in was only half cleared to D’Rosario, who acrobatically kept the attack alive for his side, falling to Callum Brown volleying wide of the target.
After a fairly quiet first-half, the second 45 minutes was off to a quick start. Ryan Attwell nearly got the Blues in front, but his header went over the crossbar, following a well taken corner from D’Rosario.
In the 65th minute, UoL nearly regained their lead. Weaver drove down the wing with pace and slid the ball along the ground for his strike partner Smith, but he couldn’t reach it on the stretch inside the six-yard box.
However a few minutes later, they did have their second goal. Lincoln won a free-kick towards the right corner and Weaver, left-footed, drilled a low effort around the wall, evading everyone inside the area, nestling in the far corner.
Weaver was involved in another UoL attack when he won the reds a penalty in the 71st minute, which Smith went onto convert to make it 3-1. He battled his way into the box and was pulled back as he was just about to shoot. Smith stepped up to take the spot-kick and placed the ball into the right corner, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.
BGU nearly got a goal back shortly after. Goalkeeper Warren McCreeth fumbled the ball and D’Rosario quickly followed up the rebound, but Lincoln’s got back to his feet and blocked the effort.
They had another chance of getting back into the game in the 77th minute, however Hornsey’s curled attempt from outside of the area just went over the bar.
UoL won themselves another free-kick in a dangerous position. Weaver fancied himself again from the set-piece in the 86th minute. From over 30-yards out, he drilled it over the wall, but BGU’s goalkeeper Richard Greenway made a fine stop to the ball over.
However, he could do nothing about Weaver’s second goal of the night one minute later from the resulting corner. The striker’s corner was poor and didn’t beat the first man, but the clearance went back to the taker Weaver, who drilled home a strike from a tight angle, putting the Swans 4-1 up.
In the closing stages of the game, there was yet more drama. Sean James of BGU made a nasty challenge, resulting in both teams shoving each other, which then saw the striker sent off for picking up his second yellow card of the evening.
That was not final moment, though. In additional time, Weaver’s night was not finished as he completed the rout by scoring a hat-trick to go alongside his two assists. Matt Reynolds showed tremendous control and skill to get past two players and played it to Weaver, who took a touch and then curled a fantastic shot beyond Greenway into the far corner from outside of the box.
The full-time whistle blew, with the University of Lincoln defeating Bishop Grosseteste 5-1, in what was a highly entertaining game.
LINE-UPS:
Bishop Grosseteste University: Greenway, Boden (72’, Mee), Newberry, Woolley, Biggs, Attwell, D’Rosario, Walker, James, Hornsey, Brown (70’, Harness).
Unused substitutes: Bates, Wilson, Mason.
University of Lincoln: McCreeth, Lawrence, Malone (86’, Challenger), Reynolds, Field, Oldfield, Sae-be (66’, Rayner), Tipper (46’, Tuck), Weaver, Smith, Dickinson (46’, Roberts).
Unused substitutes: Chapman.
Attendance: 1,151
