Varsity 100 – Key Players

will
Name: William Barrie
College: Clare College
Subject: Natural Sciences (biological)
Age: 19
Nationality: British
Position: Long Stick Midfield
Favourite song: Nina Simone – I wish I knew how it would feel to be free
Favourite post-training snack: Tinned tuna with olive oil and salt/pepper
Role model: My father, Chris Barrie
Honest varsity prediction: Cambridge to win 12-6
Personal Varsity aim/target: Score a goal and help win the majority of face-offs
Profile: Will is one of the youngest members of the squad, yet also one of the most experienced. Having been involved with England U17 and U19 squads before coming to Uni, and playing a starring role in winning the South Premiership league and FLAGS cup double with Spencer Lacrosse Club last year, it’s safe to say he’s one to watch at this years 100th Varsity match. Despite playing as a long-stick midfielder, traditionally a very defensive position, Will has been scoring goals for fun all season, a highlight being a hat-trick against Northampton Uni to help secure 1st place in our league. He’s also earned a reputation as a ‘hoover’ of ground balls, bringing the ball out of seemingly lost situations much to the surprise and frustration of many an opposition player. Facing up against his twin brother (currently playing for Oxford) in this years Varsity match, he will be sure to up his game for the big occasion with both the University and family bragging rights up for grabs. Needless to say Will will be a key player in both an offensive and defensive sense this year, and without a doubt in future Varsities to come.
stu
Name: Stuart Cummings
College: St Catharine’s College
Subject: Natural Sciences
Age: 22
Nationality: British
Position: Goalkeeper
Favourite Song: November Rain – Guns n Roses
Favourite Post-Training snack: Marmite on toast
Role Model: David Beckham
Honest Varsity Prediction: 5-9 win Cambridge
Personal Varsity aim/target: Alongside the defence keep Oxford to under 8 goals.
Profile: Stu is the heart of the Cambridge team. His team talks, great communication in goal and steady temperament make him a brilliant leader on and off the pitch. He’s the guy working tirelessly behind the scenes to make the whole show work, and his background as a hockey goalkeeper make him a great natural sportsman: always good-natured but with a fierce desire to win.
In goal Stu plays with an old-school style – making lots of saves with the body and anticipating shot location well. Often it’s as if he knows where the attackers are going to shoot before even they know, and he’s there in position to make the saves. Stu has a habit of playing well in big games and is a major factor in the blues team’s success this season, making incredible saves again and again in close matches. I expect him to do exactly the same in varsity.
pete
Name: Peter Baddoo
College: Jesus College
Subject: PhD Mathematics
Age: 22
Nationality: British
Position: Attack
Favourite song: Big Rings, Future & Drake
Favourite post training snack: Malt Loaf
Role model: Jesus Christ
Honest Varsity prediction: Cambridge win 12-4.
Personal Varsity aim/target: Win back to back MVP awards.
Profile: It would be an understatement to say that Pete lives and breathes lacrosse. Once Pete has finished his work for his PhD in Maths for the day, if he is not at Bible study or lacrosse practice, he is sure to be found scouring Youtube for new lacrosse footage, that he will then assiduously dissect, picking up new moves to add to his arsenal. Indeed, very little is able to keep Pete away from the lacrosse pitch: Pete was out for a couple of weeks with a minor knee injury in the middle of the season, and although his teammates expected him to take a well-deserved rest to relax and recover, they were surprised to come across video footage one evening of Pete, confined to a chair, practising his behind-the-back passing.Pete has emerged as one of the top young players in England, and plays for the Team England Senior Men’s Development Squad, the England Universities Squad, and this past summer played for the Culver City Lacrosse Club in Los Angeles. Last year, he scored 9 goals in the British National Championships. Pete is one of the powerhouses of Cambridge’s lacrosse team, having scored 5 or more goals in 9 contests this season, and a season-high 10 points against University of London. Despite his impressively high number of goals, Pete is also known for his selfless play, and will often end up with many more assists than goals at the end of games. Pete is a much valued asset to the team, not only for the points he puts on the board, but also for the time and effort he has put into coaching Cambridge’s beginners, which has been a large factor in their intensely impressive improvement this year.Pete came to Cambridge this year from Oxford, where he spent his undergrad and MMath years playing for Oxford’s lacrosse team. He was a co-captain, a full-blue, and was awarded the season MVP there. Pete was also the MVP of the Varsity Match last year, and hopes to bring home both the trophy and a back-to-back MVP award home to Cambridge this year.
mattj
Name: Matthew Johnson
College: Clare College
Subject: PhD Psychology
Age: 24
Nationality: USA
Position: Midfield
Favourite song: i – Kendrick Lamar
Favourite post training snack: PB&J
Role model: Steph Curry/Eric Liddell
Honest Varsity prediction: Win
Personal Varsity aim/target: Win >75% of ground balls
Profile: Matthew learned to play lacrosse growing up in the sunny haven of Lafayette, California. He attended Acalanes High School and Yale University before coming to Cambridge for his MPhil and PhD. As a midfielder, he has developed a reputation as one of the toughest and grittiest players on the Cambridge Lacrosse team. In a close fixture against University of Nottingham (that Cambridge won 8-7), he suffered a broken ankle yet continued to play the rest of the game and was rewarded with a hat-trick of goals. Furthermore, in high school he bounced back from what would have been a career-ending injury for most people, when he took a particularly flagrant cheap shot (the worst his coach had witnessed in 40+ years of playing and coaching lacrosse), at a summer tournament. These experiences have shaped Matthew into the determined and dangerous player that he is today. You can expect to see his name on the score sheet at the end of the 100th Varsity match.Matthew cites his high school lacrosse coach, Matt Lynn, as one of his greatest inspirations for playing lacrosse. Lynn was diagnosed with cancer shortly after winning a national championship with UCSB and tragically died a few years later. Matthew dedicates every game he plays to Lynn.


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