Match reports for May 30 show some excellent results. With all our matches played on the one day, it was great to see the skills of our players and their commitment to giving their best efforts.
Play of the week
Great team play by Alex Birse and Tom Pearson in the U17 game to move the ball from one end of the field to the other to score a great goal.
Under 8
Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Strikers
Coaches reinforced the need to keep to positions during Spirit’s Under-8 clash with Newtown stablemate Strikers at Lloyd Reserve at the weekend. Several times umpire Claire stopped the game after players on both sides crowded the ball in congested play. “There’s no point having six people around the ball,” Claire told both teams. “And remember, eyes on the ball, stick on the ground.”
Spirit, buoyed by new recruit Cate and the return of Nate, put in a strong first half that included several successful shots at goal. Nate, centre half back, and Max, left wing, both chalked up goals while Matilda showed a real defensive flair as a sweeping back. At the break Coach Kellie urged Spirit to pass out wide to waiting wings rather than rely on the crowded central corridor. “Please focus on staying in your positions and big loud voices,” she instructed players before reshuffling her team.
Phoebe, moved to centre half back, had a great second half, tackling strongly and never giving in. She also gave her teammates room and fed the ball well to forwards including Meyah and Cate as the game spread out and opposition Strikers pushed strongly into attack. Avah put in a good performance on the half back line while winger Ruben gave his teammates options up front. Charlie, at full back, showed wonderful vision when taking free hits by sending a couple of great passes square to Max and opening up play. After the final whistle Coach Kellie applauded Spirit’s efforts to stick to their positions during the second half. She said that giving a teammate, who had control of the ball, some space allowed them the opportunity to do something useful with it. Phoebe received the Best Team Player award for the game after a great all-round performance and her ability to direct play effectively.
Newtown Strikers vs Newtown Spirit
The first half started slowly, with Strikers players watching the ball, but not always watching the opposition players. Some nice passing from defence by Chris and great chasing by Eliza, always with her stick on the ground. The second half saw better positioning to cut off passes to the Spirit players, and determined play by Daniel and Alex, gaining possession and looking for passes out wide. Emma was in great position on the wing, and calling for the ball, earning her the Best Team Player award for this week.
Under 11
Newtown Rebels vs Torquay Tornadoes 3-0
Improvement has definitely won the game for the Rebels Team. Really great passing from Flynn, Taylah, Bailey, Claire, Locke and Kiah throughout the game. Well done to Luca, Harry and Archie defending along with Ezekiel who did a fantastic job as goal keeper preventing our opponents getting any goals. Harry got us the lead at the end of first half by cashing in on the short corner through his usual powerful hit. A fantastic effort from Basyl doubled the lead in the second half. Flynn finished off scoring a perfect goal at the end to keep the strong Torquay Tornadoes side under pressure throughout the game – Well done boys!
Special mention to Declan, our new recruit who did a great job in his very first game – Welcome on board. Best Team Player for the match went to Ezekiel for his impeccable goal keeping effort!
Newtown Spirit vs Geelong College 1-1
Newtown Spirit came up against Geelong College this week. It was an improved game with lots more talking to one another throughout the entire game. Once again the first half was the better of the 2 with great position play and not a lot of crowding. Our forwards put lots of pressure on their defence but we were unable to convert any goals. Our backs held steady when College did break through. The second half started really well with lots of pressure again up forward. Over all it was a great game by everyone. Best Team Player awards to Angus S and Xander.
Newtown Strikers vs Golden Plains 4-1
Newtown Strikers were focused on the ball and the play as soon as the game started, and with Harry and Amelia showing great determination, were able to create many forward moves. A tendency to crowd and failure to use the wider spaces of the field allowed Golden Plains to apply pressure to the defence, despite some great saves in goal by Brandon. The second half produced some solid defence, with Samuel always making great position to intercept and clear the ball away from the danger zone. Olivia, Amity and Robbo showed some great teamwork, backing each other up well to keep the ball in our attacking zone. Excellent ball control and perseverance by Harry, despite tough opposition, saw him score all 4 goals. Best Team Player awards to Harry and Samuel.
Under 13
Newtown Spirit vs Geelong College 7-0
One of our best team efforts so far with a 7-0 win over the Geelong College. The match was highlighted by excellent teamwork and passing. The play was almost exclusively in our half and the many attacks resulted in a 4 goal lead at half time. With a few positional changes at half time & a focus on more run saw another 3 goals scored. A great team effort with everyone playing their part and a special mention to Maya who performed so well in her first game for the team. It was great to see everyone playing as a team. Well done.
Newtown Strikers vs Torquay Tornadoes 6-1
Under 15
Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 2-1
Another great team effort this week to get a win against a very good Torquay team who had us backed up early with 4 short corners one after the other, but with great defence we managed to turn the game around. It is always great to see the players doing what has been asked of them and even doing that little bit more. And thanks to Eneko for playing for us and playing a very defensive centre forward which is a strange request from a coach but there was a lot of pressure from the other team at the start. Once we got into a rhythm we played great hockey with players getting to positions early to allow for smart thinking plays, just like training so it must be working and they must listen after all. Great effort.
Newtown Spirit vs Golden Plains 2-1
The Spirit U15’s played Golden Plains in their round 7 game securing a well played win. Playing strong attacking hockey the team scored 2 early first half goals. The second half saw Golden Plains come on the to field with new determination that put our back half under pressure. The team remained composed and controlled the match to maintain the margin at 2:0 to the final whistle.
Under 17
Newtown Strikers v Saints 5-1
Before the game, we had a special run-on to the ground with some of Newtown’s under 11’s. It was a special moment for both the younger and senior junior club members to share a moment together; perhaps some of them will be playing seniors together one day?
Once the whistle was blown, we confronted another tough game which was much more difficult than the score line suggests. The team was shaken by an early goal from the Saints but we consolidated well in the second half. The highlight of the game (and possibly the season so far) was a sensational 1-2, 1-2, 1-2 by Alex and Tom P down the right wing which resulted in a well-deserved goal and a hearty roar from the crowd. It was a great demonstration of continually following on and supporting your team mates. Well done again.
Division 1 Men
Newtown Falcons vs Torquay 0-6
Division 1 Women
Newtown Falcons vs Geelong 3-2
Newtown Strikers vs Bellarine 5-0 (forfeit by Bellarine)
Division 2 Men
Newtown Strikers vs Geelong White 2-0
Continuing the Strikers run of not scoring in the first half, there were numerous chances with one opportunity even hitting both goal posts but nothing seemed to get in the back of the net. After re-grouping at half time, the team concentrated their efforts on continuing to apply offensive pressure and control the flow of play using back passes effectively to switch play. Showing control in the attacking circle we were able to force a number of short corners which eventually resulted in the winning goals being scored.
Newtown Spirit vs Corio 3-2
Division 2 Women
Newtown Spirit – Bye
Newtown Rebels vs Saints 2-1
Another great game by Newtown Rebels. In a fairly even start to the match, Newtown’s defence was able to block many of Saints attacks in the first half, with Colleen, Hillary and Dana proving a rock solid barrier to the goal. Strong midfield play by Remi and Tracey pushed the ball into attack for Rebels but a tendency to bring the ball into the centre early allowed Saints to gain control, and with a gap between our forwards and midfield, Saints were able to move the ball into their attacking half. Saints scored in the first half after a defence mixup in the circle. The second half saw Newtown improve their play with better use of space and using the width of the field, and great co-operation between Erin W and Meredith created a number of attacks. Erin S and Meg worked hard on the left to provide scoring opportunities for the team. The 2 goals were scored by Kellie, who showed great hand-eye co-ordination to score one of them with a mid-air swat at the ball. Excellent movement on the forward line by Katelyn and great hassling helped keep the ball in our attacking area. Great effort by all, with great adaptability shown by all – trying out a variety of positions. Thanks Bron and Hil for helping us out.
