by Suryaansh Jain
On 19 January 2022, the LSE women’s netball first team christened the new Marshall Building sports facilities with a roaring 44-27 victory over the Kent second team. The match took place as part of the national British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) league, and the victory helped the LSE team cement their comfortable lead at the top of the table in the South Eastern Tier 4 division.
The atmosphere in the new building was buzzing with energy, with several students and SU staff coming out to express their support for the team. With the home fans firmly behind them, shooters Elina Boudin and Amy Whittaker led the charge in LSE’s decisive romp, scoring a whopping 44 points. The LSE first team built an early lead in the match and it never seemed like their grip on the lead would loosen. Elina Boudin took home the GA (Goal Attack) Player of the Match award with a fantastic individual scoring performance, and the team celebrated their first victory at their new home ground with the supporters and staff in style.
Speaking to the captain, Sophie Roberts, about the new facilities, she said: “It feels great to be in the Marshall Building and playing on campus – it cuts out so much travel time to and from games and the facilities are all so modern! All of our training has also moved indoors to the Marshall Building which is a game-changer!”
The team has had an excellent season, with only one loss in the BUCS league so far. They currently occupy the top spot in the league and are on track to be promoted to Tier 3 if they maintain this position. They also compete in the London Universities Sports League (LUSL) Division 2, where they are undefeated in second place (having played one fewer game than the leaders), and could be set for promotion to Division 1 as well. Additionally, the LSE 1s are progressing well in the BUCS South Eastern Conference Cup, where they have made it to the quarter-finals, where they will play against the Portsmouth 1s on 9 February, in the Marshall Building. Captain Sophie said that the team was “excited about the match” and is counting on more students attending to rally their team to victory.
