Duke Kunshan student-athletes took on their peers at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) on Oct. 21, playing out a series of hard-fought matches in range of sports including football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, badminton, tennis and ultimate frisbee.
The friendly matches provided ideal preparation ahead of the competitive Qilin Cup, held at New York University Shanghai.
In the women’s football, DKU ran out 5-1 winners, with the team’s pressing and attacking play proving too much for UNNC.
Yesuidari Amarbayasgalan opened the scoring for the visitors after just two minutes. Dalia Flores doubled the lead with a powerful shot into the bottom corner before netting her second shortly before the break, making it 3-0 at half time. Within a minute of the restart, Amarbayasgalan added to her tally with a right-foot drive before Flores completed her hat-trick with a fine volley, beating the goalkeeper from a tight angle. UNNC rallied late in the game to grab a consolation goal.
“Every player showed real passion,” said Aleksandar Tomic, head football coach at DKU. “I want to thank UNNC for hosting the match, and it was great to see the students from both universities socializing and learning from each other.”
Yesuidari Amarbayasgalan controls the ball
An under-strength DKU side lost 5-0 in the men’s football. UNNC opened the scoring on nine minutes before a handball resulted in a penalty, which was calmly dispatched to the left of DKU goalkeeper Jiajun Fu. DKU offered little in the way of attack, and the home team went on to add four more goals to complete the rout.
Show of resilience
Inside the UNNC Arena, the women’s basketball teams played out a tense match, with the scores tied on 35 minutes. UNNC eventually won 37-28. The DKU men’s team put on an energetic performance but were unable to prevent a 68-29 defeat. DKU’s head basketball coach, Marko Potkonjak, praised the teams’ resilience and spirit, and said he hoped for a better result in the Qilin Cup.
Seven members of the DKU Tennis Club took on 11 players from UNNC, with matches in men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles, and mixed doubles. DKU returned only one win, in the women’s singles. “Lots of lessons were learned,” said Yang Yang, the club’s advisor. “It was great for experience, and we can now reflect on how and why we lost certain points.”
After a combination of singles and doubles matches, DKU recorded a 6-1 victory in the badminton competition. Meanwhile, in the table tennis, UNNC finished the day with a 5-0 win.
The DKU Ultimate Frisbee Club’s match, which attracted a lot of spectators, ended 14-7 in UNNC’s favor. In the equally intense volleyball competition, the DKU women won 3-1, while the men’s team lost by the same score line.
