Hockey Weekend Sports Reports
This past weekend saw a number of hockey games contested, with reports below on each game provided:
Men’s League: Police Polecats vs Upstarts: Final score: 2-2
The Police Polecats opened their season against a shorthanded Upstarts team and failed to capitalize on their advantage. With the numbers advantage the Police team denominated stretches of the game but the resilience and hard work of the Upstarts defenders and midfielders held the team at bay. In the 24th minute the Upstarts through a quick counter attack earned themselves a penalty corner which they converted through a shot by Alan Gilbertson from the top of the circle. The Police tied the score in the 30th minute on a penalty stroke by Nigel Deane which was awarded due to a bad tackled by the Upstarts during a short corner. The game remained tied at 1-1 at half time.
In the second half the Police took the lead in the 40th minute on a field goal slotted in by Hannes Robbertze after a quick series of passes of a long corner. The Upstarts kept fighting till the end using counter attacks and were rewarded for the efforts in the 57th minute when Gary Tavares scored a field goal on a driving run through the middle of the field. The Police kept pressing for a winning goal but the valiant defense of the Upstarts held strong and the game ended 2-2.
Chameleons vs Panthers: Final score: 3-0
With a great team performance, Chameleons managed a hard fought 3-0 victory over Panthers on Sunday. The first goal was scored by Adam Griffiths from a broken down short corner late in an even first half. Panthers piled on the pressure but were unable to score past man of the match goal keeper Andrew Holmes. As the half wore on, Chameleons added to their lead in the 41st minute on a field goal through Paul Deans on a breakaway goal. The Chameleons put the game away in the 63rd minute with a field goal by Simon Parker on a quick counter attack. Although Panthers had the majority of possession, captain Richard Cox was very pleased with how his team soaked up the pressure and countered in such a dynamic fashion.
Women’s B League: Canaries B vs Swallows B: Final score: 4-3
The Canaries opened the scoring in the 2nd minute on a field goal by Shabnam Ahmed. With such an exciting start to the match the Canaries came out firing in the opening part of the first half but the Swallows defense absorbed the pressure. The Swallows equalized the game in the 21st minute on a field goal by Jennifer Chisnall. The remainder of the first half was an even contest and the teams when into the break all tied up at 1-1.
The action heated up in the second half with the teams trading goals several times. The Canaries took the lead again in the 41st minute on a penalty stroke converted by Valerie Young. The Swallows fought back and squared it all up in the 46th minute on a goal by Kayla Kellman. The Canaries quickly retook the lead one minute later when new recruit Zina Jones scored a field goal. The Swallows fought back and four minutes later the game was all tied up again when Jennifer Chisnall scored her second of the match. The Swallows pushed hard for a game winner but were thwarted in their attempts through the exception goal keeping of Tami Ray who kept the Swallows at bay. Tami was rewarded for her great goalkeeping in the last minute of the game when Maria Burley fired home the game winner for the Canaries.
Ravens B vs Swifts B: Final score: 0-2
The Ravens went into this season opening match knowing that they would face a tough and determined Swifts team full of juniors who have been training hard all summer and with the majority of the team having just returned from National Team duty for the CAC games. The Ravens fielded a side made up mostly of juniors with a few seniors making up the numbers. The play was evenly matched but the pace of Swifts forwards Ryanne Bardgett and Alex Francis proved to be too much for the Ravens defense. The Swifts scored their first goal in the 21st minute off a penalty corner which Lorena Harvey converted. The Swifts second goal came from a field goal by Ryanne Bardgett in the 26th minute. The Ravens fought hard in the second half but were unable to find any goals. Laura West-Burt did her best in goal for Ravens to keep them in the game making some fantastic saves throughout the game.
Cardinals vs Longtail Canaries: Final score: 2-0
The first game of the season for Cardinals saw a restructured team go out a bit slow against a greatly improved Longtail Canaries junior side who are in there second year of existence and are a much improved side having gain valuable experience last year. Cardinals used some sharp and controlled passing to each other as the ball moved up the field and closer to the Longtail Canaries defensive area. The Cardinals were rewarded for this effort in the 25th minute when Candy-Lee Foggo carried the ball from defense and into the attacking circle firing a shot at goal which was deflected by the Longtail Canaries goalkeeper. The goal deflected into the post and the rebound was slotted into the goal by our junior Adrien Lewis. The Cardinals kept the pressure on throughout the first half and were rewarded with a number of penalty corners which they failed to capitalize on. The Longtail Canaries’ defense held firm and they went into the break down by only one goal.
In the second half, Cardinals picked up the pace and after being awarded a few more short corners were still unable to convert. Candy-Lee Foggo once again dribbled the ball from defense towards goal and at the top of the circle slipped the ball to an awaiting Denise Downey on the front line that slammed the ball into the back of the net in the 67th minute to finish the second half with a 2-0 win.
Women’s A League: Ravens A vs Canaries A: Final score: 1-3
The first match of the season saw the top two teams from last season meet. Both teams put out sides made up of seniors and juniors which looked like it was going to be an interesting match-up. The first 20 minutes saw both sides battling it out in the middle of the field with no major threats on goal. Canaries settled into their game much quicker than Ravens did which enabled them to score 2 goals in the first half. The first goal was scored by Mary-Ellen Jackson in the 27th minute in open play. The Canaries doubled their lead 11 minutes later when Rebecca Gibson who was left unmarked on the back post connected with a great cross from the right by Mary-Ellen to put the ball into the goal. Although the possession was fairly equal in the 1st half, Ravens were unable to capitalize on goal scoring chances with Sharmini Samuels missing the left post by inches and some fine saves by Tami Ray, the Canary goalkeeper.
The second half saw a slightly improved performance from the Ravens but lack of fitness and playing together saw another goal from Canaries early in the 2nd half which was scored by Mary-Ellen. Despite being down 3 goals the Ravens continued their attack and managed to score a consolation goal with 15 minutes remaining. This was scored by Megan Troake on her return to club hockey after a 2 year break. Ravens goalkeeper Juliette Oatley made some good saves despite the 3-1 loss.
Police Wildcats vs Budgies A: Final score: 2-0
The Budgies started the game shorthanded and quickly found themselves under pressure from the full strength Wildcats team. It was the Budgies however who got the first shot on goal through a quick counter attack by Keishae Robinson who drove through the heart of the Wildcats defense and shot the ball just wide of the post. The game developed into an even affair with play going back and forth in the mid field area whilst once in a while penetrating the D’s of both sides. Wildcat youngster Ryce Trott took advantage of the extra space in the field and in the 17th minute made a surging run earning the Wildcats a penalty corner. The Wildcats converted this opportunity through a shot by Susanna Almeida which deflected off the number one runner and into the goal off the post defender. Both teams continued to fight hard throughout the remainder of the first half.
The Budgies fought back in the second half with both Keishae Robinson and Lakae Dill linking up through the center of the pitch trying to find an equalizer. The Wildcats took advantage on the counter attack earning another short corner which converted again by Susanna Almeida who fired a whistling shot past an out stretched Budgies keeper. The Wildcats continued to put the pressure on and the Budgies started to tire but were thwarted by Marcia Ford the Budgies sweeper and Angela Dunstan Budgies keeper who had many great saves. Despite the loss, the Budgies had a great game despite playing shorthanded.
