Soton’s biggest boys were mad hyped that LSE’s pool was not an option and raving to play at our glorious Jubilee with the support of all our favourite spectators (Jess and Katie). Big thanks to bossman Alex for organising it a tad last minute. We gathered for a team talk of the ages and lined up for the first whistle.

Starting in the deep end, we immediately showed just what SUWPC are made of, with our very own Sam Dalton scoring a goal just 40 seconds in (bit slow for him really). In return, the opposition managed to get a goal just one minute later, equalling the score. Well, Nuh-uh! Wilmshurst and Dalton were having none of that and put two more in the back of the net. LSE then stepped up to score two more and equalise 3-3. This could be anyone’s game.

After an enlightening team talk from Magill, the second quarter was a-go and possession was all over the gaff, bringing a row of grappling players up and down the pool. Silence echoed across the pool as Ed Wilkes was the first player to be excluded from the match, giving LSE the opportunity to have a man up. While a valiant effort was made to defend the goal, the shot still made it to the back of the net (we are sorry coach please don’t make us practice man up again). Clearly jealous of Wilkes impressive major, the opposition also engaged in a touch of majoring, and gave us the time to set up a lovely arc formation which resulted in a revenge goal from Captain Thomas, equalising the score once again. They then countered and scored again so yet again Wilmshurst retaliated with a goal of his own. Our social sec then took it upon himself to get himself on the score sheet again, although it was unfortunately with a second major. Alex was in a silly goofy mood from all the excitement, so he gave away a penalty, so we finished quarter narrowly behind with a score of 5-6.

Kicking off the third quarter, it became apparent that the game had swung into LSE’s favour, as four shots from the opposition made their way past our defences and behind the goalie. But hope was not lost, for we had gained a man-up advantage! With a few neat flicks of the ball around the arc, the ball made its way firmly into Dan Ammon’s grasp. But he made the heart-warming decision that a concussed opponent was much more valuable to us than an extra goal. The ball left Ammon’s arm parallel to the pool surface, right into the poor guy’s face at breakneck speed. But as no rules were broken, gameplay resumed as normal once more. After witnessing Dan’s extreme control of the ball, Dalton proceeded to do the nastiest trick shot I’ve ever seen, with the ball ricocheting off the cross bar, sailing high up into the air, through the hole in the ceiling. Unfortunately, this spectacle was not appreciated by the referees, and we were not awarded any points. Must have been within the two-meter box? However, determined not to let the referees’ silence dampen his spirits, another swift arm movement from Dalton and the ball landed in the actual net this time awarding us our only goal and ending the quarter 6-10.

While the third quarter was an exhausting set of back and fourths, The fourth quarter was where we regained our footing and found our groove. Despite two goals scored by the opposition within the 2^nd minute, we refused to give up. LSE clearly had not eaten a fulfilling meal before the match as they ordered 2 cheeky wraps and one of them was accompanied with a red card after a colourful display of emotion directed at the referee. Dalton fancied himself to save the day and scored 3 impressive goals but unfortunately the opps were a bit techy and they scored again with the gap just a bit too large to close. The final score was 9-13, it was a good game for the big boys with some lovely support. While we may have lost the match, at least we didn’t lose our pool. All was right in the world, and we piled into stags with our friendly opponents, one of them having a bit of a head start after being kicked off poolside. Attracted to the team’s beauty, they even bought a Movember calendar to remember us by, how wholesome!

Man of the Match – Sam Dalton for literally scoring twice as many goals as the rest of the team combined and always showing up any opp who tries to step to him with his mad skills.

Dick of the Day – Our very own Captain Thomas who according to the ref has a seriously bad attitude, maybe we should ask movember to invest in some anger management classes for him. We’re not angry, just disappointed. – love you really Finn

Goals/Majors:

Sam Dalton                        6/1

George Lea                        0/1

Alex Wilmshurst                2/1

Edward Wilkes                  0/2

Jack James                         0/0

Daniel Ammon                 0/2

Luke Bennalick                  0/0

Sam Ellis                             0/0

Michael Scott                    0/0

Noah Boelmann                0/0

Finn Thomas                     1/0

Match report written by George Lea