Lightning edged out in North East tussle

The Lightning match report is below:

After a poor first half, the team in purple fought back to lead with 10 minutes to play. However the game continued to ebb and flow, and with 20 seconds remaining hosts Northumbria led by one and that’s how things ended.

Northumbria had the first centre pass, but Lightning quickly turned over the ball and put away the first goal of the game.

However, it wasn’t long before the home team gained the advantage and soon settled into a comfortable three-goal lead over the Lightning team. Lightning worked tirelessly to try and close the gap, however the first quarter ended Lightning 10 – 14 Northumbria.

The second quarter began, and as the scoreline reached 13 – 16 to the home team, Northumbria had to call for injury time as one of their players went down.

The gap between Northumbria and Lightning grew with the host team pulling away with a six-goal lead as the second quarter wound down.

HT: Lightning 24 – 30 Northumbria

Halftime changes included Kadeen Corbin moving to GS and Loughborough University student Vanessa Walker coming on at GA, with Lightning keen to prove themselves.

Valiantly the team managed to even out the scoreline within the first ten minutes of the third quarter, equalising at 30-30. Northumbria’s defensive players worked hard to disrupt the Lightning offensive but soon they were able to put a goal in, putting themselves ahead.

The scoreline remained close in the third quarter with just a goal difference wavering between either side. Corbin was a standout player and was key in maintaining Lightning’s rejuvenated offensive plays in the second half.

As the exciting third quarter came to an end, Northumbria managed to regain the lead at Lightning 37 – 38 Northumbria.

After a difficult first half, Lightning seemed to pick up their pace once more as they headed into the final quarter with the game set to go either way.

Lightning’s defensive players were quick to capitalise on a turnover in the early part of the quarter, giving the visiting side a boost in confidence. The lead was quickly back into Lightning’s hands after a missed shot by Northumbria, and another turnover meant that the team was able to gain a valuable two-point lead.

Lightning dug deep in the final stages of the fourth quarter to hold back the Northumbria offensive plays. The scoreline once again wavered between the two teams leading to an exciting climax of the game.

With two minutes to go, the home team had pulled ahead with a two-point lead. Despite their hard work and a last minute goal by Corbin, Lightning were unable to take the win with the game ending with just one point separating the two sides.

FT: Lightning 46 – 47 Northumbria

Lightning will look to return to winning ways as they travel south to take on Team Bath on Friday night. Tickets for the team’s next home game against Yorkshire Jets are already sold out.