BUCS Match of the Week: Nottingham Trent v Uni of Nottingham
Our BUCS Match of the Week sees us return to Nottingham again on Wednesday, but this time to the other side of the city to Nottingham Trent for our first men’s match up of the season and a local derby.
University of Nottingham (UoN) head to last year’s league and cup runners-up Nottingham Trent (NTU) with more than just city bragging rights on the line after 100% starts for both teams see them locked together at the top of the Men’s Premier North division.
Last week, UoN delivered a massively eye-catching result as they comfortably downed the reigning BUCS champions Durham 12-5 delivering a first league defeat for the holders since 2009.
That result has thrust NTU and UoN into a direct head-to-head battle for the title and the victor of Wednesday’s fixture will emerge as the favourite for this year’s Championship.
NTU, who finished in second in both competitions to Durham last season after their historic Championship win in 2018, beat UoN in both league matches last year, although UoN then gained revenge with an OT varsity win at the end of the season to set things up nicely going into 2019/20.
Ones to Watch
Nottingham Trent
Head Coach, Sam Patterson, has been busy in the off-season picking up a group of new recruits with the aim of going one better this season and returning the silverware to NTU.
A trio have arrived from D1 Manhattan College; attackmen John Fredette and Parker Giarratana along with midfielder Will Ratchford whose combined talent and familiarity with each other should prove good a blend in attack.
In addition, the NTU offensive threat is also bolstered by Joe Baythorpe coming in with England experience, and first year Elliott Bickerton, one of the star attackers from England’s big win at the Under 20 European Championship in Prague with 12 points (8G, 4A) who offers a great left-handed variety particularly working around the crease.
Tanner Cosens, has also been drafted in as goalkeeper, another D1 recruit who graduated from Binghamton in 2017 to shore up the defence along with Eamon Hunter from Boston university and Cheadle youngster Will Abbott.
University of Nottingham
UoN’s building recruitment drive over the last couple of years has continued apace this season with a strong mix of talent across the field.
The presence of two senior England internationals gives a tough core with Hal Dwobeng, goalkeeper at the 2018 World Championship, between the pipes while new recruit Christian Scarpello will prove a lynchpin in the midfield.
Scarpello played four years at NCAA D1 Rutgers totalling 60 games before capping off his senior year by appearing at the World Championship tallying 11 points (6G, 5A).
And Scarpello has also been joined up with two other former teammates with the exciting defensive additions of Kyle Pless and Garrett Michaeli creating a Rutgers Alum club.
Pless, who graduated in 2019, finished his NCAA careerwith 115GB and 59CT in 60 appearances, earning a spot at the Denver Outlaws in the MLL and played in the 2019 Championship game in which the Outlaws lost to the Chesapeake Bayhawks where teammate Michaeli was a squad member though didn’t pick up game time.
In addition to the experience above, UoN have added some good young domestic talent in adding midfield/face-off Dan Madeley and defender Tom Whitehead who join as freshers for 2019.
The pairing both featured in England’s gold medal success at the 2019 U20 European Championship this summer, while 19-year-old attackman Will Prescott, who was named to the senior England training squad this summer,will be a key attacking threat.
Tomorrow’s match faces-off at 3pm at Nottingham Trent’s Clifton Campus with updates across England Lacrosse social media, followed by highlights post-game.