On Friday October 15, JCU took on the Army in the annual Uni v Army event. It was a fantastic day of sport across the Townsville region.
Here is a breakdown of what happened across each event.
Men’s Basketball
We started the event at Townsville Stadium with a strong crowd of 200 coming to watch the game.
JCU got off to a great start against the Army leading 18-9 at halftime however the Army came out a better team in the second half and began to claw their way back into the game to make it an exciting final quarter.
The momentum from the third quarter kept on coming for the Army as they were able to increase their lead towards the end of the game.
JCU did try a late comeback however it was too little too late with the Army winning the basketball for the first time since 2016.
Final Score: 42-35
MVP – Mitchell Barnes (Army)
Women’s Netball
Despite missing a large number of players from the UniSport Nationals – Queensland side, JCU were able to keep the game close against the Army in the first half with JCU leading 10-7 at halftime.
However after a couple of changes at halftime proved to be the difference for the JCU side as they began to pull away from the Army as they outscored them 9-3 in the third quarter.
JCU kept that dominance going in the final quarter to seal the victory to win the netball with the 10th straight time.
Final Score: 32-16
MVP – Jenna Green (JCU)
Women’s Soccer
We returned back to the Joe Baker Field for the rest of the games. First up was the women’s soccer game.
The JCU side showed their dominance early on in the game however the Army remained strong without conceding a goal. However after 10 minutes into the game, JCU were able to break through the defence to score their first goal.
From then on, the game belonged to the JCU side as they kept on scoring goals throughout both halves.
The JCU defence was rarely troubled with most of the action was around the Army’s goals.
The game rained goals for JCU which included 5 goals to Paige Malau-Aduli to claim the women’s soccer trophy for the very first time.
Final Score: 10-0
MVP – Paige Malau-Aduli (JCU)
Men’s Soccer
There was a lot of action in the men’s game as it was a tough battle between both sides.
The Army claimed an early goal to take the lead before scoring once again before halftime to lead 2-0 with all the momentum going to the Army before the break.
Army scored once again after halftime to lead 3-0 which sealed the game. With about 10 minutes to go, JCU did score to make the rest of the game interesting however the Army dashed their hopes of a late comeback to claim another goal late.
Final Score: 4-1
MVP – Steven Gilchrist (Army)
Mixed Touch Football
In just the third game of this sport, this encounter was no doubt the closest touch football game we have seen in this event.
Both sides showed high quality throughout the game which also proved to be a close encounter.
Both side exchanged leads on the night with the lead no bigger than 2 tries throughout the game. In the end, JCU were able to snatch a victory from the Army however they proved to be no easy beats.
Final Score: 12-10
MVP – Reuben Gemmell (JCU)
Women’s Rugby 7s
The Commander’s Cup match between JCU and the Army proved to be a thrilling game. JCU were able to score early to lead 5-0 however the Army were able to score right on halftime to level the scores.
The Army were able to go down the sideline early into the second half to score in the corner to lead 10-5.
Both sides went back and forward for the rest of the game however JCU had a late chance at the end of the game to level the scores as they raced down the sideline however a try-saving tackle from the Army forced JCU to knock the ball on as the Army were able to claim the Commander’s Cup for the second straight year.
Final Score: 10-5
MVP – Maddason Gofton (Army)
Men’s Rugby 7s
When comparing both sides, the Army looked more ready than JCU when the game started. After JCU turned the ball over, the Army were able to take advantage of that and scored on their first set.
The Army were able to score two more tries before halftime to lead 17-0.
JCU did try to get a try early into the second half to give them hope on claiming a win however the Army were not going them any chances with great defending as well as great attacking plays when they had the ball to claim the JCU Chancellor’s Cup for the third straight year.
Despite the victory for the Army, the score line did not reflect how well JCU played.
Final Score: 27-0
MVP – Josh Allen (Army)
A big thank you to everyone who came down and watched the games throughout the day. It was a highly successful event and we look forward to it in 2022.
Photos by Ben Rennie Photography.
