BUCS Match of the Week is back for the 2023/24 season with our first fixture taking us to the Women’s Premier North 1 league as the University of Nottingham take on Loughborough University.

Nottingham come into this fixture off the back of a huge away day win in the Nottingham derby last week where they beat Nottingham Trent University 11-3.

Loughborough also claimed victory in their opening away game of the season as they defeated Birmingham 11-9.

Nottingham currently sit second in the table after that opening day win with Loughborough right on their tail in third.

Last season’s BUCS Women’s Premier North 1 and BUCS National Championship champions, Nottingham will be looking to assert their dominance early this season with a statement win over Loughborough who themselves will be hoping to improve upon last season’s sixth place finish.

Ones to Watch

University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham boasts an array of international talent including goalkeeper, Sienna Parekh, who takes on the permanent goalie role this season after Dylan Whittington’s graduation last year.

Parekh has turned a few heads after outstanding performances for Swift at The Fly 2023 and at the 2023 ELF Women’s U21 Championship in Prague, Czechia, where she helped England to become European champions.

Another player who helped England to U21 Euros glory is attacker, Charlie Bell, who takes up the role of Club Captain at Nottingham this year.

Bell learned her trade at Withington Girls’ School in Manchester before entering the England Lacrosse Talent Pathway where she has impressed over the past couple of years; she was also part of the Hustle team at The Fly 2023.

As well as younger players like Parekh and Bell, Nottingham have some experienced heads in their midst including returning fourth year students Emma Savage and Juliet Banks.

England international, Savage, has just returned from a hugely successful tour of North Carolina with England as they began their preparations ahead of the 2023 ELF Women’s Championship in Portugal next year.

She has been a stalwart at The Fly, representing Rise in 2022 and 2023, where she has scored 28 goals in just nine games and earned herself a spot in the 2023 All-Star Team.

Another player who has been in and around the England women’s team for the past few years is defender, Juliet Banks.

Having represented the England B team at the 2022 Home Internationals Series in Edinburgh, Scotland, Banks is back in the Nottingham ranks after deciding to continue her medical degree at the university.

Loughborough

After victory on the opening day, Loughborough will be looking to back that up with what would be an impressive win over Nottingham.

They’ll be helped along by several of their experienced players including captains and international players Hannah Khalique and Chloe Ferguson.

Khalique has been playing lacrosse to a high standard for a number of years, including while studying at Queen Anne’s School while Ferguson’s skills were honed at Bolton School before moving into the England Lacrosse Talent Pathway where she played for England under-21s at the 2022 Home Internationals Series.

For Loughborough, it’s not all about experience though as they’ve recruited some exciting up and coming talent ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Having come through the ranks at Benenden School, Isla Forbes is now continuing her lacrosse journey with Loughborough and adds an incredible burst of speed to the team.

Another new-comer, Annabel Noble joins the team after captaining the Moreton Hall first team while at school and being a part of both the England Lacrosse Talent Pathway and the Wales under-21 team.

An accomplished player despite her young age, Noble opened her goal-scoring account in last week’s opening game of the season where she fired home a hat-trick and Loughborough will be hoping she’s on form in Nottingham on Wednesday.

Fact Files

Nottingham

Team Captains | Alex Cant & Kate O’Dwyer
Coaching Staff | Mike Armstrong (Head Coach)
2022/23 League Position | 1st

Loughborough

Team Captains | Hannah Khalique & Chloe Ferguson
Coaching Staff | Heather Macrae (Team Coach)
2022/23 League Position | 6th

2022/23 Meetings | Loughborough 5-20 Nottingham, Nottingham 22-3 Loughborough