Alex Sumenko-Bucknell, on ball, scored Dalefield’s second goal. PHOTO/FILE
HOCKEY
MEN
DALEFIELD 4
HARBOUR CITY 0
Farriers Dalefield put behind the disappointment of missing out on the Wellington Premier Men’s final with a confident 4-0 win in the third-fourth playoff with Harbour City on Saturday.
Unlike last weekend’s semifinal against Indians, when they conceded early goals, Dalefield started strongly, taking the lead with a Dane Lett drag flick high into the top left corner of the goal from a penalty corner [PC].
Alex Sumenko-Bucknell doubled the lead with a rebound off a shot after interplay between player-co-coach Benedict van Woerkom and Dylan Price.
Harbour threatened a comeback in the second quarter only to be denied by goalkeeper Nick Holland, who pulled off two good saves from PCs.
A second Lett drag flick from a PC, and the fourth goal to captain Rowan Yeo in the final quarter sealed the victory.
Yeo’s goal was his 16th of the season and enough to win the “golden stick” for the most goals in the championship, with Lett second on 15 goals.
Van Woerkom said the win was a satisfying way to wrap up the season after the disappointment of being knocked out in the semifinals.
“The boys got up for it and we played some really good hockey,” van Woerkom said.
“It would have been nice to have scored some more goals, but it was especially good to have the clean sheet.”
Dalefield scored 75 goals and conceded only 26, in their 12 wins and three losses, with the defeats coming at the wrong time of the season.
Indians won a tense final over Hutt United 4-3, surviving a late comeback and a PC on the buzzer, to win their first title since 2014.
WOMEN
DALEFIELD 3
HARBOUR CITY 1
Farriers Dalefield avenged their semifinal loss to Harbour City two weeks ago and came away with a deserved 3-1 in their third-fourth playoff in the Wellington women’s premier championship.
After an even first quarter, Dalefield found their rhythm in the second period and were rewarded with a goal to Brigette Mossman.
Reese Robertson and Maddie Taylor found the back of the net in the third period, while Harbour City’s only goal came in the fourth quarter.
Coach Michael O’Connor was happy with the result, given the disappointment of losing in the semifinals.
“Obviously that loss a couple of weeks ago was a bit of a downer but credit to the girls they just climbed back into their work,” O’Connor said.
“The girls were in a good frame of mind and were just ready to carry on.”
Goalkeeper Amy Rossiter-Stead was Dalefield’s player of the day, after pulling off several outstanding saves to keep Harbour City at bay.
In a drama-packed women’s final, Northern United went out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter only for Hutt United to fight back and draw level at halftime. After a scoreless second half the game went to shoot outs and Hutt prevailed in sudden death.
