Vaughan Hilton reporting for Waikato Hockey:
Storage King University secured their place in the Waikato Premier Women’s hockey final with a hard fought 4-2 semi-final victory over Fraser Tech Blue and will meet the fast rising Ecolab Te Awamutu who downed Fraser Tech White 6-1 in the other semi.
University grabbed the early initiative when the ever present Emma Andrews was on hand to tap in from close range after a goal mouth melee. A dominant display from captain Cat Pollock combining superbly with NZ U21 Blacksticks Kim Tanner and Brooke Neal ensured the students created plenty of first half chances, but a combination of superb goal tending by Tech’s Rachel Lecke and poor option taking by the students left the game in the balance. Pollock stretched the advantage with a cheeky bounce shot over Lecke who had had just pulled off three superb saves and was left strewn on the ground. The second half looked to be a mirror of the first with Lecke saves aplenty and University’s missed chances to the fore early on. Olivia Scotland scrambled a PC breakdown over the line to extend the advantage to three. Tech’s experienced players dug deep and rallied the blue and whites into a revival with Nicky O’Donnell and Shannon Cochrane to the fore. O’Donnell was aptly rewarded when slotting a well worked field goal and Tech’s players continued to fight hard for further reward Pollock made a scything run up field to link with an unmarked Andrews who made no mistake in front of goal. O’Donnell and Cochrane combined again to cut open the University defenses, with the former unselfishly beating the keeper with a pass to Alex Lukin to slot into an open goal.
In the other Semi Tech Blue and Te Awamutu traded first half goals before Te Awamutu went on a second half scoring blitz. Emma Hope bagged a hat trick, Mary-Rose Scanlon and brace and Natasha FitzSimon rounding off the Te Awamutu scorers whilst Tech’s Acacia Kelsen was their lone goal scorer. With next week’s U18 tournament taking precedence the final will be played in a fortnight with the students losing the services of their U21 Blacksticks who head to Germany for the U21 World Champs. In the 5th v 6th match Hamilton Old Girls lack of scoring prowess did not cost them as McWhannell Roofing Suburbs also failed to convert chances including a missed penalty stroke.
Only one Men’s match was completed this weekend as U18 commitments deferred Suburbs v Fraser Tech and Te Awamutu v University Reserves. First round champions, Hamilton Old Boys took on CBD University in a seesawing high scoring affair. The sides were locked up two a piece at half time as goals by Old Boy’s Richard Petherick and Adam Smale were countered by University’s Craig Hardman and Nick Trebilcock. The second half continued to ebb and flow with the sides trading goal for goal. Petherick adding a brace of second half goals and Mike Bignal also converted for Old Boy’s tally of five, but Jitesh Sima and a brace by both Abir Mukherjee and Connor Herewini saw the students seal their finals spot in a thrilling 7-5 victory. The students greater depth was a telling factor as both sides were missing their U18 reps. That aside greater efficiency in front of goal, especially the second goal from Herewini which saw Tony Hopping intercept and link brilliantlywith Mukherjee who’s rifling cross was deflected in with precision, was the difference between the sides on the day.
The other Semi will be played midweek concluding the U18’s.