Blizard vs Imperial 2s - 08/02/2020

Imperial 2s 7 - 15 BLWP

Cup magic descended upon 11 heroes at Ethos on Saturday night. The LUSL gods of above had handed us a tough first round draw against IC 2s who we had narrowly lost to 9-7 before Christmas. Bolstered by our loan signings from Blackwell we were ready to take this one to the opposition and truly fight for our place in the second round.

We came flying out of the traps at the start of the match, Jono imperiously claiming the first swim off to set the tone for the performance that was to come. A nice exchange with Emma on the wing allowed us to set up the arc in blistering fashion. We moved the ball around well, creating the space for Renos to drop a ball into Jono which was converted almost immediately. Obviously surprised by the ease at which we had scored the first, our picking up numbers from the restart was sloppy which allowed IC to pull one back by firing high into the net. Our attack was better however, and we fully capitalised on some suspect defending by IC to score again. As IC probed for an equaliser, Omar pulled off a great save to allow us to counter back up the pitch and see Jono make it 3-1. Another well worked arc following some great defensive swimming from another loanee, Josh, released Renos who crashed in our fourth. The quarter eventually ending a comfortable 5-2 to us.

Encouraging words at the quarter made us realise that if we carried on like this then the game would be won by half time so we went out attacking the massively oversized goal with more confidence. Again, a good swim off from Jono meant that we could dictate the pace of place from the very start. A few blinding saves from ICs keeper kept the score respectable for them, but we were equally up to the task of defending well with Connor epitomising the mentality required by win this one by making a nice steal in our half and feeding Jono with a great ball that meant we could extend our lead. Our arc was a bit more unstable in this quarter and the game got quite stretched with neither team being able to make the most of the space that the other was affording. A low scoring period that finished 7-3 to the BLizard.

We knew what we had to do in the third. Win the game. Tactics were discussed and executed on with blinding efficiency by our resident VP Grace who defended for her life and prevented any cheeky shots at the big goal that Omar was defending. A long-range hopeful from one of Imperial’s players allowed us to counter again and this time Omar found a beautiful pass to Imy who confidently slammed one past the Imperial keeper. Again, high pressure from Yian and Ava forced long shots from IC which Omar could pick off with ease and he released Jono with yet another long ball up the pitch, however this time, Jono executed possibly the worst miss since water polo began blazing one wide from 1m but winning a penalty in the meantime, he didn’t miss that one. Our tight defence and fast-moving counter-attacking game allowed us to capitalise on Imperial’s tiring swimmers and end the quarter a huge 11-5 up.

We set ourselves a target for the last quarter, to keep a clean sheet for the quarter. With Connor and Rory locking down our defence, Renos decided it was time for one last dance against Imperial and went on the attack scoring two goals after good link up play with Jono in the pit. Grace and Emma kept the wings occupied excellently and this created space through the middle for us to explore again and again. Imperial barely got out of their half and then when they did, their shots were small fry for Omar who found Emma again and again on the counter, her energy relentless as still we pressed for more blood. Imperial’s defensive strategy became more uncivilised and resorted to essentially jumping on Jono in the pit to prevent him from scoring even more. Rory’s constant battle in defence was characterised by two things: a lot of splashing and one massive scratch across his chest, but still he battled on like a true warrior from Braveheart, however unlike Braveheart, he was actually successful in this mission. There was still time for Omar to be cheated of another assist as he provided the tools to win Jono a penalty, which Jono then smashed against the post. The official reason: I wanted to assist myself. Finally, the referee ended the match, concluding a resounding 15-7 victory. We promised last year after losing to IC 2s that we would be back better than before, and we were, this was a performance that truly epitomised everything great about BLizard and BLWP, passion, desire and confidence. We return to Ethos again on Monday to face last year’s LUSL league conquerors, IC 1s and they should not expect it easy, we will fight for everything and with increased belief.
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For now though, LUSL BLizard’s cup run continues… see you in the final BLackwell... it’s looking spicy.

Over and Out.

Tadpole Liam xxxxxxxxxx

Goals:
Jono – 10
Renos – 4
Imy - 1