Stirling University Men’s fours delivered a commanding performance on Wednesday to defeat Edinburgh University 3-1, putting them ahead in the BUCS table.
The game began at a high tempo, with Stirling taking an early lead in just the ninth minute. Euan Ross capitalised on a well-timed rebound to find the back of the net, setting the tone for the rest of the match and putting Stirling up 1-0.
Stirling continued to press forward, maintaining control in the midfield and creating opportunities. The attacking momentum paid off again in the 24th minute when Euan Ross scored his second goal of the match, giving Stirling a comfortable 2-0 lead.
This quick brace seemed to dampen Edinburgh’s morale, as their efforts became less cohesive, with only minor shots made at goal.
As the first half progressed, Stirling’s defence tightened up further, blocking any attempts from Edinburgh to break through. Stirling went into halftime with a solid 3-0 lead after Euan Ross completed his hat trick with a goal in the 35th minute.
Edinburgh returned to the pitch with renewed intensity in the second half, but Stirling’s defence held firm. Stirling players kept Edinburgh’s attack boxed out, allowing only a handful of shots that failed to trouble the goalkeeper.
Emotions escalated as the game drew on, with Stirling receiving a handful of bookings: 7, 2, and 11 were all booked. Edinburgh’s efforts finally yielded a consolation goal, bringing the score to 3-1, but it was too little too late.
Stirling’s claimed a 3-1 victory over Edinburgh at full-time, underscoring the team’s defensive organisation and attacking efficiency.
However, after the match had ended the ref did give 2 a red card for comments made to him, meaning they will be going into their next match a player suspended.
The win grabs them three points and puts them top of the table with a five-point lead.
In a post-match interview about the team’s performance, striker Etienne Kemp took me through the team’s mindset:
“Our coach was in an accident on Monday there, he’s in hospital but is recovering. So, the boys were playing with that in mind.
“Two hours after breaking his leg, he was in the group chat sending the tactics to the captain, so best believe he was still on it, and he’s very much celebrating in his hospital bed at the moment.
“Going into the game, we were so fired up that we knew we would have to put in a good performance for the coach and yeah, we beat them last time for two.
“So, it was an expected result to win, but it’s really important that we showcase that we should be top of this league like we are, and we definitely put out a statement today.
“Lot of blood, sweat and tears went into the game, of course for the coach. So, it was expected probably we get a couple more yellow cards, but we can’t be doing that in every game.”
Featured image credit: gettyimages
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