WEST GIPPSLAND HOCKEY SEMI FINALS

The under 11’s started their game at an early start at 8am, both games ended in a nil all score. They were nail biting and exciting games, and the team that was higher on the ladder got to go through to the final. All teams tried there hardest to put a mark on the scoreboard, but they were all evenly matched. Well done to all the team that made it through to the Grand final, and good luck to all the teams that are playing next week for a spot.

 

Under 11’s

Warriors drew Aztecs 0 – 0 (Warriors play Preliminary Final next week against Gulls at 9.00am, Aztecs out of finals)

Elimination final and Warriors need a nil all draw to progress. With an early start on turf, Warriors showed patches of fine play. Lachlan Clarke showed great defence and passed off well. Josh Horsburgh and Lachlan Naylor displayed great ball control and continued breaking the lines, but Aztecs hung on. The second half was played predominantly on Warriors terms with numerous short and long corners. Ryan Ward and Olivia Stagg had each flank and looked dangerous close to goal. There was good signs with young Daniel Frost trapping, stealing and passing off well. Thanks Thomas Taylor for Goal keeping this week and we wish Warriors all the best in the next final.

Drouids drew Gulls 0 – 0 (Drouids straight to Grand final, Gulls play Preliminary Final next week against Warriors at 9.00am)

What a fantastic game to start the finals – both teams were evenly matched and hard at from the start.  Isaac Daly was awesome in defence and was well supported by Jenna Wright, Piper Hobson and Sara Fleming in goals.  Henry Grant was tenacious in attack with Chelsea Beca, Felicity Johnson and Jarrod Smith controlling play through the centre. Caitlin Jones found plenty of activity of the ball, as did Nathan Smith in the second half.  Grace Park and Jarrod Pearson played their respective wings well providing options out wide. Kelsey Powell filled in the gaps beautifully.  Gulls attacked hard in the second half but good team play by Drouids saw us hold them out until the final siren.

An exciting match that could have been anyone’s, as both teams gave 100%. The score of nil all showed what an even game it was. The teamwork amongst the Gulls keeps improving every week, and this week was no exception. Thanks to Samuel Wells, Gabrielle Carbon and Eliza Greenall for playing up, and filling the gaps nicely- we couldn't have done it without them. Mathew Dutneall and Isabelle Donders were magnificent in defence. Isabelle Mann, Mitchell Nunan and Stewart Bedford were skilful in intercepting the ball and passing it on. Travis Gallagher and Samuel Gilbert ran the field well and did some great hits. Jeremy VanWicken-Robinson didn't see much actions in goals. Despite many attempts at goals we were unlucky not to score.

Under 13’s

Gulls drew Aztecs 1 – 1 (Gulls play Preliminary Final next week against Warriors at 10.10am, Aztecs out of finals)

 

Drouids def Warriors 3 – 2 (Drouids straight to Grand Final, Warriors play Preliminary Final next week against Gulls at 10.10am)

Warriors dominated their goal circle in the first part of the match.  Sam Cumming made a terrific save when one of the Drouid players got away.  Lauren Gooden got the first goal of the match just after half time, hitting it from the left side.  The Drouids quickly matched this goal.  Now the game was on, with both teams eager to score.  Play was fast and Warrior forwards took the ball up to the goal circle.  Damian Crawford scored Warrior’s second goal, hitting it in from the post, after a great pass from Lauren Gooden.  Again the Drouids were able to match this goal.  Warriors kept up the pressure with everyone in the team putting in a superb effort to keep the ball in their goal circle.  The game finished with Drouids scoring an extra goal allowing them to move into the Grand Final, but Warriors still have the opportunity to go forward in their semi final game next week.  Good luck team!

Goal Scorers: Lauren Gooden

What a great game from both sides. It was a game that had huge drama and treated the parochial crowd to the spectacular skills on both sides. Drouids being the top team after the home and away season looked extremely nervous. Warriors took this opportunity to seize the game and scored first. Ed Edmonds was stoic in defence teaming well with Charlie Park to defy Warriors attacking moves. Lachie Hannah was everywhere, displaying his silky stick work. Zoe Bush started to get busy in the centre with Meghan Wright. As a result saw Thomas Park snag the first goal. This gave Drouids the confidence to keep attacking. Warriors after good play slotted their second goal. Within a minute Lachlan Hannah got Drouids second and tied the game. Riley Jamieson was full of determination and teamed well in attack with Steph Zurrer, Robert DiPietro and Cassie Sherlock. Mitchell Park held his position well as instructed by his coach. Time was running out, both teams and spectators were trying to lift to win the match. It came down to the last minute when Drouids had the ball in the goal zone shots were coming from all angles at Warriors goal keeper until one ball crossed the goal face to see Grace Park perfectly positioned on the post and slotted the goal for the Drouids win. A special mention to both the Sams, Samantha Cumming of Warriors and Sam Watts of Drouids , they were outstanding as the goalkeepers for both teams, stopping numerous shots on goal for their respective teams. Go the Sams!

Under 15’s

Warriors def Aztecs 1 – 0 (Warriors play Preliminary Final next week against Gulls at 11.30am, Aztecs out of finals)

The Warriors were radiating confidence today as they ran on the field to face the Aztecs. Samatha Cummings did exceptionally well in the goals the whole day, stopping continuos shots at goals. Tayla Stephens and Karla Lee Hudgell were moving the ball down the wings at a very quick pace and Hayley Knerch was in the centre, ready to receive it. Adien Cummings and Lauren Mascardi were excellent on the back line, clearing any balls that came down the field. Jemma Rinehart tackled opponents with so much power, as well as Brenton Lowes. The first and only goal for the game was shot by Brendan Noye, which gives the Warriors a chance for a win at finals in a couple of weeks.

Drouids def Gulls 5 – 2 (Drouids straight to Grand Final, Gulls play Preliminary Final next week against Warriors at 11.30am)

A great hard game was played by both teams, with Drouids keeping the Gulls scoreless until well into the second half. Our goals were achieved by some great hitting by Lachie, Ed, James, Sam and Jacob, who all scored a goal each. Our defence was kept busy with some great playing by Rosie and Will with of course the always reliable work in the goals by Liam. A strong Gulls team made scoring hard work, making our players push that bit harder with Alec, Prue and Ann-Marie challenging the Gulls players at every chance. A new comer to the game is Naomi who improves with every game and a near miss at goals today is a welcome new team member. Great teamwork was played which saw Drouids win the game after a hard fought battle between the strong teams.

Under 17’s

Aztecs def Warriors 4 – 1 (Aztecs play Preliminary Final next week against Drouids at 12.50pm, Warriors out of finals)

Warriors had been struck with a full team for the first time in a while, unfortunately, the Aztecs did not have these same benefits. Sam Lodge held his team together as he ran and tackled down the field continuously. Leigh Boreham and Nick Brown dominated field play, continuously getting the ball past opponents. Jacinta Brown and Jemma Rinehart helped out all they could to get the ball down the other end of the field, and Jo Betoli tired his hardest all game. The Warriors did not come out with a win, but they tried extremely hard.

Gulls def Drouids 5 – 1 (Gulls straight to Grand Final, Drouids play Preliminary Final next week against Aztecs at 12.50pm)

A fast game with the players all-settling in well to playing on the turf. Great teamwork resulting in three quick goals  in the first half. Ashley Gaylard, Kiarn Uliando, Joel Claxton and James Bedford all showed great skill when defending and attacking and moving the ball up the field. Thankyou to Narelle Armstrong, Evan Tyson, Sam Tyson, Elliott Campbell, Jesse Dent and Aubrey Gaylard who have played up an age group each week to help fill an undermanned side and resulting in Gulls making it through to the Grand Final.

Goal Scorers: Aubrey Gaylard 2, Melinda Kemp 1, Sam Tyson 1 and Joel Claxton 1.

Drouids played hard against Gulls today and although the ball was passed quite well there were many times it was intercepted to the Gulls advantage. The one goal scored by Luke Jamieson was a good hard shot and a welcome encouragement to the team who strived to gain more but just missed a few opportunities. Goalie Bronte Hobson had a lot of pressure put on her but handled herself extremely well under the circumstances.

Goal scorers: Luke Jamieson

Woman’s

Warriors def Gulls 8 – 0 (Warriors play Preliminary Final next week against Aztecs at 2.15pm, Gulls out of finals)

Great team effort, but warriors were too strong for Gulls who only had 8 players, they tried hard. Lisa Smith and Belinda Hatfield were great up forward keeping Gulls busy. Good luck to Warriors in the Preliminary Finals next week.

Drouids def Aztecs 5 – 0 (Drouids straight to Grand Final, Aztecs play Preliminary Final next week against Warriors at 2.15pm)

Aztecs’ defence fought hard against the attacking team effort of Drouids. Barb Beale put in some great saves in goals with strong support from Jackie Mowat. Cass Jolley, Jan Park and Robyn Ridsdale displayed strong and tenacious tackling, shutting down the attack on many occasions. Sam and Steph Hill did a fantastic job at marking player together with an ill Steph Crookston. Chloe Bourke was outstanding on the wing and Alicia Wood-Davies put in her best effort despite being sick all week. Nat Tyson, Jane Rees and Bridgette Ockerse had some good runs up the field and were unlucky not to score.

Drouids played there best ever game with a lot of team work. The girls flowed the ball up the field utilizing every player. Drouids scored two goals in the first half, which helped to keep the fighting sprit going, and manage to score another 3 in the second half. Our defence work well, which was displayed in the score line. Fiona Conochie and Gita Walker kept the ball out of the defence with some powerful sweeps out of the circle. Heather Fleming now can enjoy her holiday! There were some impressive passing and poisoning up the wing to Claire Wigglesworth, where she moved it to our attacking circle. Meg O’Brien displayed fantastic jabs in her attacking. Our tiger award goes to Justine Gooding, for her outstanding play in the mid field. Stopping some powerful hits and attacking strongly. Well done girls, and good luck to the Drouids men’s playing in the preliminary finals next week.

Goal scorers: Bec Smythe 4, Talia Leggett 1

Men’s

Warriors def Gulls 4 – 1 (Warriors play Preliminary Final next week against Drouids at 3.45pm, Gulls out of finals)

 

Aztecs def Drouids 4 – 3 (Aztecs straight to Grand Final, Drouids play Preliminary Final next week against Warriors at 3.45pm)

The Drouids fought hard all game but with a few key players missing they couldn’t quite match the Aztecs intensity.  The defence worked hard with Michael Smythe (GK) giving his all despite carrying an injury.  Chris Garden, Nathan Furphy and Rohan Lester did well in the back half while Alec Zurrer, Dillon Thomson and Tom Copping worked hard up forward.  The goals were scored by Chris Garden and Dan Wiglesworth from short corners and Mitchell Haylock in general play. Their last goal was scored right at the last minuets of the game, but wasn’t enough. The Drouids will have to work harder next week to make the Grand final.

Goals: Chris Garden 1, Dan Wiglesworth 1, Mitchell Haylock 1