ACU crowned 2021 Battle of Ballarat champions

In 2020, Battle of Ballarat was the last ACU Sport event to be played before the country went into lock down. Twelve months later, the teams play on. The stadium at Federation Uni, Mt Helen was set and competition between the local rivals was in full display. Students from both universities created a vibrant atmosphere and demonstrated fierce competition.

In the first game of the night, ACU took on Fed in the first mixed netball game. After a tight score line in the first half, Fed Uni were too good, winning the match 8-5. MVP for the game was Josh Irish (FED)

Next the women’s teams took to the court. Great defence from both teams saw an even score line at the end of the first half. ACU made some tactical position changes and came out of the gates strong at the start of the second half. Great goaling and defence saw ACU victorious 9-7 (ACU). MVP for the match was Lexi Carter.

The second mixed match of the night was physical battle throughout the whole game with ACU’s team too strong for Fed Uni finishing 12-5 (ACU). Taking the overall competition lead ACU 2-FED 1 leading into the final match, mixed futsal.
Post dinner, the Fed team spooked ACU’s team in the warmup. However, when the whistle sounded it was fair game. Both sides had a mixed skill level which made for a suspensive game. Shot after shot with no goals scored at either end saw a penalty shoot-out to decide the game. Three females and three males took on the goalies in a tense faceoff. After 5 misses each, Fed Uni snuck a ball past the ACU keep claiming the points.

The competition ended in a tie 2-2 with ACU claiming victory on score countback.

A fantastic night of sport by all. A massive thank you to Federation University for hosting ACU on campus and to the ACU students for being great sports throughout the night.