WEST GIPPSLAND HOCKEY ASSOCIATION Inc.

Under 9’s

Drouids Blue 2 def Gulls 1

A tightly contested match between Drouids Blue and Gulls made for good viewing. Mia Pedersen scored the Drouids two goals with the able backing of Nathan Smith and Courtney McDonald bring the ball down. Kyle Calder was a formidable sight in goals. Great attack and positioning by Cherie Bridgman and Henry Grant with Connor McKillop and Mikayla Smith working the ball and challenging defenders. Good job Kelsey Powell keeping Gulls at bay.

GULLS SCORED! This week Gulls posted their first for their year compliments to Stewart after a great pass from Olivia. The whole team pulled together with Gilly and Belle in defence, Sam and Eliza in the centre and Gabriella, Alex and Olivia in attack. Good skills displayed by all the players and we look forward to having Katie back in the team when her finger gets better.

Warriors 3 def Aztecs 1

It’s great to see the young players braving the cold.  It was a close game and they all played very well.

Under 11’s

Gulls 2 def Drouids 0

What an awesome game from both teams, played with fantastic sportsmanship and a huge effort from everybody.  A great game by Ryan Claxton, who tackled hard all game, ran hard and set up play. It was great to see him score a great goal at the end of the game well supported by Gabbie Farnham. Alec Bedford worked well in defence and stopped many Drouids attacks. Sam Gibert ran especially well in the second half and Courtney James played a really good game in the middle.

Despite persistent attack and defence by the Drouids players they did not manage to get any goals against the Gulls today. The Drouids players did well under the excellent coaching of David Daly.

Warriors 5 def Aztecs 1

The game started out with a great goal by Cameron Dyt followed by some good passing between players.  Michael Knersch also sneaked in two goals with short corners.  We had some good shots at goal but unfortunately, we were unable to score.  The Aztecs fought back and had some great passes. Mike Taylor pulled a ball from the backline to score a sensational goal. Unfortunately, the Aztecs also scored a goal though goalie Ethan Calway’s legs. Ebony Porter also scored a very lucky goal just before the siren.

Under 13

Aztecs 2 def Warriors 0

Warriors played a great team game with Samantha Cumming and Damian Crawford Sharing the goalie position. Jack Rinehart was strong in defence and Tanita Brown passed the ball. Well to her team mates. Ethan Calway played well pushing the ball to the forwards. Maddie Noye was unlucky to score a goal. Great team work.

Drouids 4 def Gulls 1

A great game played in ideal weather conditions. Great to see all players developing their tackling and passing skill and playing well as a team. Some great saves in goal by Alec Bedford. Our thanks to Brooke Wearne for all her guidance and enthusiasm she puts into training these young players each week.

Under 15

Warriors 3 def Aztecs 2          

Late start to the game, Aztecs waiting for goalie. Warriors awarded 1 goal for time wasted. Solid performance by forwards. James scoring first goal. A couple of short corners, no result. 2nd half saw a very see-sawing game, still resulting in near misses until Caitlin had a golden run and scored. Aztecs kept the pressure up and our goalie and forwards had to work hard. Great play by all Warriors!

Drouids 3 def Aztecs 2 

A severly undermanned Aztecs took to the field though the start of the game was delayed because the goalie wasn’t ready, causing one goal to be added to the Drouids by default. When the game started Aztecs did a great job of evening up the score with two goals scored by Luke Taylor and Michael Finger.

Under 17

Gulls 4 def Drouids 2  

What a cracker of a game! Gulls were undermanned again this week and played with only nine on the field. This handicap seemed to stimulate each player as their determination and effort caused a major upset. Evan Tyson and Ashley Gaylard dominated their positions while Kiarn Uliando was unbeatable in the back half. Joel Claxton did a great job at full back and goalie, Mel Forth was solid as usual. Well done Gulls.

Drouids played Gulls today both teams played hard and well. Sam Stenson placed both goals today one off the post and the other one a direct hit in. Goalie Bronte Hobson played well despite the end score in stopping a penalty stroke and kicking out at least one other try at goal. Dylan Thompson, Michael Dobson, Jim McCormack and Sam Atkinson all worked hard to keep control of the ball.   

Warriors 2 drew with Aztecs 2

In an exciting match Warriors scored a goal in the dying seconds of the match to record a 2 all draw. In extra time Warriors scored a goal off a penalty corner. Taylor Stephens played well in her first game for under 17’s. Sam Lodge was strong all day.

Women

Drouids 8 def Gulls Green 0        

An excellent team game against an undermanned Gulls Green.  This provided an opportunity to mix up positions and allow our defence to have a run up forward.  Tenacious tackling was displayed by Ann-Marie Fleming and Sophie Wigglesworth.  Strong attacking play came from Lauren Finger, Sandi Hatfield, Rebecca Smythe and Eleanor Weber and Telese Lane.  Megan Obrien made some lovely runs into the D when switched to forward.  A skillful game played by all.  

Warriors 0 drew Aztecs 0

In cold condition Warriors defense were too strong for Aztecs to score, their forwards had many shots at goals but were unable to score. Britney Tress played well pushing the ball forward with Belinda Hatfield. Lisa Smith, Rachel Taylor and Bethany Martin were hard to beat on the field.

Men

Gulls 4 def Drouids 2

An undermanned Drouids battled well until late in the second half. Dylan Thompson and Jevan Leggett provided a lot of run. Backs Gordon Hobson, Nathan Furphy and Alister Milne were tight all day. Goalkeeper Mick Smythe was in excellent form. Forwards Chris Addison, Tom Copping and John Thompson were dangerous often, but in the end Gulls numbers were too hard to counter.

Warriors 4 drew Aztecs 4

A very even game between both teams with plenty of open space.  Kris Breaden scored a very quick fast goal, while Rob Knersch snuck a goal towards the end of the match.  Good to see Jack back on the field.  The match was played very skillfully especially dribbling with lots of passes.  Warriors work hard in defense to keep out lots of Aztecs scoring opportunities. Happy birthday to Brendan and Mick!