Collge quintet play role in England College success
NO FEWER than five Loughborough College players have supported an outstanding performance on the international stage for England Colleges women.
The side triumphed 7-2 away to Wales to win the 2018 Anglo Welsh Cup and after playing teams from across Europe to reach the final of the Mare Nostrum Cup in Spain, only lost 1-0 to a senior women’s team playing in Iceland’s top league.
Natasha Hudson, who studies A-levels with Loughborough College and Ria Acton, Serena Clarke, Tiana Hicks and Lucy Copping, who are on Sport courses, all play for the Loughborough College Women’s academy - league winners recently selected to compete against the best teams in the country for Category One, the highest national college football league.
Hudson, Acton, Clarke and Hicks together with fellow player Jodie Hutton had all reached final selection at the national trials for The England Colleges Representative Programme, from the England Colleges Football Association (ECFA) and the Association of Colleges (AoC.
Ria and Natasha were selected for a final squad of 18 to travel to Salou, Spain for the Cup. “They were facing strong women’s teams playing high-level football in their countries,” said Jenny Sugarman, Elite Sport tutor and coach for the Loughborough College Women’s Academy side and part of the coaching team for the tour.
“We knocked out a team from the top Iceland league on penalties in the semi-finals and made it to the final – only losing 1-0 to Fylkir Reykjavik, a
senior women’s side from the same top league.
“Tash played every minute of every game and score three goals, including a winner in the second group game and an equaliser and penalty in the semi final. Ria also played in every fixture, including every minute of the semi-final and final. They were brilliant.
“Then Tash and Ria as well as Serena, Tiana and Lucy all travelled to the University of South Wales in Pontypridd this week to play Welsh Colleges in the Anglo-Welsh Trophy – and we won 7-2.
“Lucy scored and Tiana set her up for one of the
goals - they did brilliantly. All the players will get an England Colleges cap, which is fantastic.
“It is the first year with this women’s performance squad and we are playing Category One football and have six girls playing with the England Colleges side. It is an outstanding achievement.
“With players in our side with links to Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Aston Villa and Loughborough Foxes, our promotion to top level college football and these latest successes it’s clear the massive strides we’re taking with our women’s academy football at Loughborough College.”