Sports editor Saoirse Byrne wraps up a day of controversial calls, last-minute losses and unexpected victories on Day 3 of the 2025 London Varsity Series.
King’s and UCL went into the third day of Varsity 2025 with three points apiece, meaning for both sides it really was all still to play for. After a mixed bag of results, we head into Day 4 trailing behind our rivals by just one point – a theme that echoed across the day, as each of KCL’s four losses were also within a single point of their opponents. The pool proved an area of great strength, with wins in Swimming and Water Polo, alongside Women’s Lacrosse. Disappointment came elsewhere on the field, however, with Men’s Lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee, and American Football all losing by only one point.
Ultimate Frisbee
The day started positively for KCL Thrown, who have enjoyed a streak of Varsity success for the past several years. This year, they were more confident than ever, coming off a strong season and a place at Nationals.
The game, however, was far from one-sided. UCL showed up with a vengeance, and throughout the first half neither team was able to really shake the other off. There were several tiebreaker points, but the scoreline did seem to favour KCL more often than not. Minutes from the end of the game, it looked like King’s might have been away for another win, but disaster struck in the form of a unfortunately-timed dropped frisbee, from which UCL were able to pull back the score and ultimately take the win.
Lacrosse
Two major comebacks for KCL were on the cards after a rocky start at King’s New Malden Sports Ground for both the Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse games, but unfortunately only one managed to come to fruition. The Women’s game looked from early like it might be a UCL wipeout, with three goals scored against the home side within the first ten minutes of the game. Shortly after, however, the comeback was on as KCL made a massive break up the pitch to put themselves firmly on the scoreboard. The game proved a hot contest from there, and through pure grit and determination the team managed to secure a definitive 14-10 victory.
The Men’s game was a brutal contest, with sticks flying and passions running high. They, too, were hoping for a chance to redeem themselves after last year’s loss, and at half time it was all still to play for with only a slim margin separating the two teams. However, scrappy ball handling from King’s and a sudden surge of momentum from UCL made for a disappointing third quarter, where it began to look like King’s might be out of the game. The final quarter was an entirely different story, with King’s pulling back two goals and their impressive defence – clearly one of the team’s strong points – offering UCL no opportunity to improve their score. Despite this great effort, the game ended 6-7 to UCL.
Muay Thai
Having had a brilliant year of grown for both the club and the sport, KCL Muay Thai were looking forward to an even bigger and better Varsity event than last year. The day featured ten fights – three more than last year – and came only weeks after the club’s smash-hit women’s fight night, Queens of the Ring. The quality of fighting on display in both the decision and non-decision fights made for another excellent event from a club which only seems to be going from strength to strength.
After a dominant display in her first ever decision fight, KCL’s Rachel Walker gave King’s an early lead. A highly controversial decision in the second decision fight of the day, however, lead to KCL’s Denise Spigler missing out on the victory points. This would prove to be a crucial decision, as there was only one win separating the two teams at the end of the day. Though Ayiana Matim secured a second victory for King’s after the break, losses for Oscar Yammine and Rebecca Walangitang in the men’s and women’s headliners meant that UCL took home the trophy for another year.
American Football
The KCL Regents were not immune to the day’s apparent theme of narrow losses, with their match at New River stadium ending 12-13 to UCL. A rushing touchdown from #14 Mohammed Fohpa gave King’s an early lead, and the UCL Emperors took some time to respond, but a well-timed intercept allowed them to even out the game to 6-6.
The two sides remained locked in a stalemate, with neither able to get the ball into the endzone despite several opportunities. The second half provided some joy for Kings with a touchdown putting them at 12-6, but the missed 2-point conversions for both touchdowns would prove to be the Regent’s downfall by the end of the match. The Emperors responded almost immediately with a touchdown of their own, and they were successfully able to gain the extra point from their conversion attempt, putting them just ahead of KCL. The rest of the game continues without any points from either team, so KCL finish with a heartbreakingly close defeat of 12-13.
Swimming and Water Polo
The pool proved to be a beacon of hope on an otherwise disappointing day, with King’s teams coming 1st and 4th in the 8-man relay event, and ultimately winning the swimming 152-144. Water Polo, which is one of this year’s seven new fixtures, proved to be a resounding success for King’s, with the team crushing UCL 12-5.
Up Next
With King’s hot on UCL’s tail, Day 4 will be crucial for both teams, with Fencing, Squash, Table Tennis, and Kendo all set to compete. Tickets for all Varsity events are still available via KCLSU.org
