STAFFORDSHIRE University went down to their first defeat in four games as they lost away at Loughborough.
After convincing wins against Aston and Leicester, as well as a creditable draw against Birmingham, the step up to the unbeaten Loughborough proved too much.
Although Staffs played well and created a lot of chances, the presence of England Internationals along with a number of third year players meant the opposition was just too strong.
After going two goals down in the opening stages Staffs managed to pull one back and stay in contention through Dimitri Chambers. The midfielder picked up a pass from James Perkins three yards out and supplied a first time finish to beat the Loughborough keeper.
The Scorpions then went a further four goals down before the end of the first quarter as they struggled to keep up with the pace of the opponents attack.
After the interval Staffs put their fast players in defence to counter the attacking force of Loughborough and this seemed to pay off as Chambers got his second of the game, again feeding off a pass from Perkins.
At this point Staffs were going forward looking to get the goals to get back into the game but got caught on the break twice in quick succession to stop any attempt of a comeback.
Two more Loughborough goals before half time left the Scorpions concentrating on their goal difference rather than the result, in a league where the extra goals could make all the difference.
With their mind set on narrowing the gap, captain Carly Edwards reduced the deficit as she received the ball from Jay Armstrong and ran through a crowded fan to finish past Hunt in the Loughborough goal.
This was soon followed by her second of the game as she converted the penalty she won to finish off a period of Staffordshire pressure.
This pressure didn’t last as Loughborough replied with four more of their own before the Scorpions could score again.
This time the goal came from Armstrong as he beat three defenders before faking a shot and then firing home into the space left by the fooled goalkeeper.
Fresher Jack Tew then continued his fine recent form grabbing his third goal in two games, as he finished off a sustained attack by the Scorpions with Armstrong again making the decisive pass.
Staffs were unable to score again and as they tired Loughborough added four more to give the score line a more one-sided look than the game deserved.
Staffordshire: Stephen Jinks, Jay Armstrong, David Grice, Christopher Pike, Berti Spain, Kelly Stone, Laura Morrissey, James Perkins, Nick Thursby, Dimitri Chambers, Rich Christion, Ben Bradley, Izzy Wilding, Carly Edwards ©, Frazz Simpson.
Man of the match: Dimitri Chambers
Women of the match: Carly Edwards
For videos of the games goals click here