Felicity Reidy [right] scored two goals in the win over Northern United. PHOTO/FILE
HOCKEY
CHRIS COGDALE
[email protected]
WOMEN
Dalefield 3
Northern United 1
Defending champions Farriers Dalefield are back on track with their first win of the Wellington Women’s Premier Championship.
However, it took until the final two quarters to wear down a tenacious Northern United and come away with the valuable 3-1 victory.
There were plenty of nerves in the Dalefield camp going into the game, with the team having lost their two games to Hutt United and Harbour City, and with Northern having upset Hutt two weeks ago.
The first two quarters were scoreless, although Dalefield had several chances to score, only for the shots just to be wide or to be saved by the opposition goalkeeper.
Felicity Reidy eventually broke the defence in the third period. Northern drew level five minutes later, but Dalefield replied from the hit off with player-coach Katherine van Woerkom’s pass finding Brigette Mossman who restored the one-goal advantage.
Reidy wrapped up the scoring in the final quarter, for a satisfying victory for van Woerkom.
“The girls played really well, and consistently well in all quarters which to me is really cool and there were no real slumps,” she said.
“We stuck to our game plan of trying to keep it short and just trying to hold it, and we could have had another five goals.
“The girls were buzzing after the game, not just because we won but the type of hockey we were playing.”
The win has lifted Dalefield to fourth in the championship.
MEN
Dalefield 8
Northern United 1
Farriers Dalefield made no race of their Wellington Men’s Premier Championship match with Northern United, bagging a valuable bonus point in the 8-1 rout.
The two-time defending champions took control of the game against their inexperienced opponents in the first quarter with two early goals, although the margin could have been much greater with shots hitting the posts on three or four occasions.
A further goal was scored in the second quarter, and three goals early in the third period secured the bonus point for winning by five or more goals.
Dane Lett scored three goals, Marcus Ambrose scored two, while Zac Hardie, Alex Clark, and Alex Sumenko-Bucknell got on the scoresheet.
Northern’s only goal came from a penalty stroke which goalkeeper Will Brown got a stick to, but the ball dribbled over the line.
Dalefield player-coach Ben van Woerkom was pleased with the result against the weak opposition.
“I knew Northern weren’t going to be as strong and we had plenty of chances, and the score could’ve been blown out a lot more,” he said.
“In those sorts of games though you can get away with things you won’t against better teams, so we need to clean those bits and pieces up. We’ll take the bonus point and take the good things out of it and move on.”
Dalefield are in third equal place in the league.
