IC trounce Medics
Tim Beasley reports as medics are soundly defeated
Football
Imperial Men's 2s – 8
ICSM 2s – 0
On Saturday 5 November, the Imperial 2nd team continued their unbeaten start to the ULU season with an outstanding performance against the medic 2nd team. The traditional rivalry within this fixture always adds a bit of excitement to the pre-match preparation, and it was evident in the warm-up that the squad was very much focused on the task at hand.
The foundations for the result were laid early on in the match, as Imperial came flying out of the blocks to score an early goal. Beasley played March through down the right flank, and March’s looping shot slipped through the keeper’s grasp to give Imperial the lead. The second goal followed swiftly as a corner was headed on by Beasley and finished by Wright at the far post. Imperial were able to maintain the upper-hand in both the possession and territory stakes, and a third goal arrived when Joffre collected the ball on the edge of the area and rifled a shot into the right hand corner of the net.
With the score at 3-0 the medics put together some nice attacking moves which resulted in some chances, and this served as a reminder to Imperial that the job was not over yet. Before half-time, Caron met Joffre’s corner with a powerful header at the far post to send Imperial 4-0 up at the interval.
The second half began competitively, until Imperial were able to extend their advantage when Joffre burst through on goal and slid his shot low into the corner of the net. It was another fine goal from Joffre who would go on to earn man of the match. Shortly after, Joffre played a pass through to March who curled the ball beautifully into the top right corner to make it 6-0.
Having made both of their available substitutions, Imperial suffered a couple of injuries in quick succession. With the team down to 10 and even 9 men for a short time, the emphasis was largely on keeping possession and maintaining a shape as players filled into unfamiliar positions. Although this blunted some of the attacking threat, the quality of football was still high. This was rewarded by a further two goals for March, both assisted by some sublime skill from Baptista.
The result was one which will live long in the memory of every Imperial player, and it was rewarding to see elements worked on in training and previous matches come together in a superb performance. The victory preserves Imperial’s unbeaten start to the ULU season and sends them one point off of top of the table. After a break this weekend, the team will look to continue their strong start against LSE 2s before a crucial derby match against Imperial 3s!
