Lindum Hockey fell to a narrow 4-3 defeat against table-topping Loughborough Students in an entertaining encounter at the LSA.
The Yellow Submarine put in a spirited performance under the lights, twice coming from behind to peg back the visitors.
However, two quickfire goals in the final quarter were enough for Loughborough to seal three points and preserve their unbeaten league record, despite a late hat-trick sealing goal from Sam Dixon.
The result leaves Lindum five points from safety in England Hockey Division One North.
A close-fought half:
Loughborough started brightly and hit the front in the second minute, after Joe Cotton latched onto Tom Moorhouse’s delicate through ball and converted from a tight angle.
The visitors thought they had doubled their advantage from a penalty corner in the 4th minute, but Rory Penrose’s effort was chalked off for a foul on Lindum goalkeeper Dan Garlick.
After enduring Loughborough’s early onslaught, Lindum started to gain a foothold in the game during the second quarter.
Matt Goodley forced a save from Harrison Dunlop after a surging, pitch-length run.
This moment sparked the hosts into life, and they soon had a player advantage after Tom Ferris was shown a green card for a cynical challenge on Sam Temple-Baxter.
Lindum capitalised on their numerical superiority from a penalty corner on the half hour mark, as Dixon tucked home at the second attempt.
However, the hosts were not level for long as Loughborough were awarded a controversial penalty shot in the 31st minute. Captain Ellis Robson was on hand to slot home from six yards to give the visitors a 2-1 lead going into half-time.
A determined second-half display:
After some tactical tweaks by Lindum head coach Stuart Cunington at half-time, the Yellow Submarine’s resolute defensive structure began to frustrate Loughborough during the early stages of the third quarter.
The visitors were restricted to a pair of speculative attempts as Ellis Robson and Francois Vayse-Baird both tested Garlick from range.
As the quarter progressed Lindum started to pose a significant threat in transition, and from one sweeping counter-attack Goodley flashed a presentable opportunity agonisingly wide of the far post.
Shortly after, Louie Sadler’s deflected strike was cleared off the line from a penalty corner as momentum began to swing in the Yellow Submarine’s favour.
Lindum remained in the ascendancy at the start of the final quarter and were rewarded with a deserved equalising goal in the 49th minute. From another penalty corner, Dixon drilled a powerful shot through a crowd of bodies to notch his second goal.
But Lindum’s joy was short-lived once again as Loughborough restored their lead three minutes later in fortuitous fashion against the run of play.
Alexander Chihota was in the right place at the right time to tap home on the goal-line after Lindum failed to clear the danger following a penalty area melee.
Loughborough extended their lead in the 55th minute through a close-range Tom Moorhouse finish after Chihota’s pulled-back delivery from the right.
There was still time for Lindum to claim a late consolation as Dixon sealed his hat-trick from another well-worked penalty corner routine in what was the last action of the game.
The Lincoln-based outfit’s next game is an away trip to Brooklands Manchester University on Sunday, February 23.