Men’s 1st vs Cardiff Uni 25/11/2012
Last Sunday our Men’s 1st team had another U-polo game, this time at home, against Cardiff. Last year’s game against Cardiff ended up with us losing badly, but this time things were different. Until now (touch wood), in all our games we have managed to play really sensibly and win triumphantly!

In the first quarter of the game we were attacking the deep end. We were playing against a team that trains in a double deep Olympic-size pool and so we thought that scoring goals in the deep end would be difficult. However, from the beginning, we showed that we can score goals against anybody, by playing the ball cleverly in the pit and completing amazing drives. Thus we managed to score 4 goals. In defence we had the advantage of knowing how to play in a shallow pool and managed to keep a clean sheet for the quarter. The score at the end of the quarter was 4-0 for the Soton team.

The second quarter was a bit messier, as mistakes in the defence, as well as stupid exclusions, led to 3 goals being conceded. On the other hand, our attacks continued being effective and we managed to score a goal from a man up and a long way shot. The score at the end of the first half (16 minutes of play) was 6-3 with the Stags leading.

The second half of the game followed the same pattern as before but was more productive for our team. Again, no goals were scored in the third quarter by the Welsh university (they were attacking on the shallow end) and four goals were scored from our team. The pit was utilised perfectly; with man ups being won, the ball being scored from the pit’s positions and other scoring opportunities being generated by using the pit. The score at the end of the quarter was 10-3, a very sturdy lead.

The final quarter went under way with the Soton team leading by 7 seven goals. We were attacking on the shallow end and had a difficult job in responding to each of the three goals that the Cardiff team scored, mainly, in counter-attacks. However, our team created space and opportunities for our captain to score four goals; this way sealing the game. The final score was 14-6 for the Southampton team.

It has to be noted that freshers have integrated very well into the team and have helped the team considerably both in the attack and defence. Additionally, Divall’s atrocious semi-backhand shot was discussed and next time if/when a similar attempt takes place he will be cannoned. Let’s hope the next games again find us in the winning side! Plus let’s hope we will always have you guys joining and supporting us poolside. Your support is always welcomed as well as needed and we are thankful for it!! A huge thank you to the people on the table (Andy, Vicky and others?) and Amy for refereeing.

Scorers:
7 – Panos Logothetis
2 – Will Divall
2 – Will Logothetis
1 – Nick Tankov
1 – Emmet McCann
1 – Henry Perkins