Sport 26
Sport 26
Brighton strikes gold
to see off the season
Brighton ’ s Women ’ s 2s dominate against Sussex rivals to end the season on an all-time high . By William Munt & images by Noah Mitchelll
After 12 matches , 53 goals scored and 19 conceded , Brighton University Women ’ s Football 2s rounded off their season with an 8 - 0 thrashing of local rivals Sussex University . Braces from Latifat Adaja and Chloe Nichols , as well as a goal apiece from Polly Barrow , Alice Nolan , Bobbi Dogwra and vice-captain Sarah Henderson saw the team finish in style on home turf . Following the match , the team ’ s captain , Libby Oyetunde , spoke to Overtime about her side ’ s comfortable victory and their season as a whole .
By finishing with a victory , Oyetunde ’ s side completed a successful campaign , in which they both won and lost six games from their 12 matches . Speaking about her side ’ s performance against Sussex University , Oyetunde said : “ Very pleased , we won 8 - 0 , so no complaints from me . Everyone did really well , each and every player was fantastic , so it was a great game .”
Such an impressive margin of victory against their local rivals for Brighton Women ’ s 2s has not been a rare feat this season , with the team scoring 33 goals without reply against Sussex University across their three games this season .
Having already defeated them 12 - 0 and 13 - 0 in their previous two outings , the satisfying nature of such a thumping derby day victory may have been lost on some , but when asked whether Sussex being the opponents made the emphatic win even sweeter , Oyetunde replied : “ It does a little bit ”.
With 18 points from their 12 matches , Brighton currently sit second in the league table , albeit the University of Kent could leapfrog them with a win in their final game of the season . However , a finish in the top three denotes an impressive season for Brighton and one that Oyetunde looks back on with immense satisfaction .
Considering their season , she said : “ I ’ m very impressed , we ’ ve got some very , very good players this year , which is really nice and it ’ s sad to come to an end .”
In a season of many memorable moments , Oyetunde once again Brighton ’ s purple panthers to triumph over the Sussex for her end of season highlight . The dominant victories over Sussex University will live long in the memory for many and the side ’ s captain said she is : “ Happy with that .” Oyetunde changed her tune though , when asked about the side ’ s best performance of the season , opting for a more competitive match that her side triumphed in against Chichester University . Reliving the game , she said : “ We ’ re very matched on ability and stuff , so beating them was very nice .”
The team ’ s strong performances over the course of the season were regularly praised by their captain , but when asked to decide who stood out for her this season , she said : “ I ’ d probably say there are three players who stick out for me . Our striker and right-wing Latifa ( Adaja ) and then our two-centre mids , Polly ( Barrow ) and Alice ( Nolan ). They ’ re just fantastic , they ’ re always on it , giving 100 %.”
With another season having drawn to a close , the task is for Oyetunde ’ s team to build upon their impressive performances next season . The side are planning on blending more with the team at Eastbourne next year , while their captain seems to be set on just one goal for next season . As the interview finished and the future cropped up , she simply said : “ We ’ re hoping to win more games I guess .”
The players will now be hanging up their boots for another year , but the future appears to be bright for Brighton ’ s Women ’ s 2s and next season they will undoubtedly be raring to back up this season ’ s performances , staying as the dominant force within university football in Sussex .