Another beautiful weekend for some great hockey.
Under 10 Lloyd Reserve
Newtown Dynamos vs Newtown Rebels 4-1
Dynamos were 2 players short this week however Rebels generously let Caspar assist for the first half and then Charlie for the second half.
In the first half we had Edward, Eliza, Kiarah starting in the forward line. Caspar, Miriam and Flynn held defense positions. Some very good passing was demonstrated which was great to see. The Rebels held off some very fast attacking play with strong defense work. Caspar and Edward were the goal scorers with 2 goals each.
In the second half we switched some positions around. Edward and Kiarah went to defense with Flynn and Miriam moved into the forward line. Charlie switched places and joined Dynamos. Caspar went back to Rebels. It was much tougher to score goals in the second half. There was plenty of short and long corner practice with everybody getting a turn at passing the ball and receiving. Plenty of goal scoring opportunities for both sides however Caspar was the only goal scorer for the second half while playing for Rebels.
Kiarah really stood out with some excellent defense work holding back the Rebels forward line multiple times. Overall all the team played well together and it was good to see passing being prioritised again.
Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Rockets 0-4
Newtown Spirit played Newtown Rockets on Saturday. We welcomed Mathilda to the team. Thank you to Leila for filling in for the Rockets (there were several great contests between Leila and Saskia).
We did some nice passing and won several penalty corners but unfortunately we didn’t score. We will continue to work on hard passing at training and during games. Most importantly, everyone had fun.
Newtown Rebels vs Newtown Dynamos 1-4
Another fabulous effort from Rebels this week. They were beaten 4 -1 in a tough game against Dynamos. Dynamos scored three goals in the first half and kept Rebels to no goals. Much of the first half was played in the Dynamos half and Rebels all had to work together defending. Caspar scored the only goal for the Rebels in the second half, and it was a much-deserved goal, he worked hard and was determined! There were some great goal saves from both Harry and Florence who both worked hard in defence. Charlie played a great attacking game and was relentless in his attempts to get the ball into the Rebels half. While Abigal and Beatrix both displayed some great tackling in the centre. Freddie and Ester both did a great job with their passing. It was great to see all the players working together and hear them communicating, it was great to hear the kids all calling for the ball as they tried to get into free space. Great work Rebels!
Newtown Rockets vs Newtown Spirit 4-0
There were 6 players today for the Rockets: Austin, Elspeth, Harry, Lily, Nora and Tom. Leila from team Spirit filled in for us for the whole game.
The focus on passing in training this week and the warmup really showed in the round this week with strong passing and good use of calling out to each other. Austin scored the first goal for team Rockets followed by Lily with the second.
At half time Claire talked to the team about going wide when passing to each other and letting the ball come past to control it, instead of trying to stop the ball and then keep going.
Second half showed great positioning by Elspeth and Leila. More great passing and running into position. Harry scored a goal and so did Lily.
All over a really good game with lots of teamwork, keeping the ball on the stick and great use of space. Great second game Rockets!
Under 10 Stead Park
Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 5-1
A fantastic team effort from the U/10 Strikers team in their first match at Stead Park! A short corner early in the game was converted to a goal, thanks to a beautifully timed pass from James to Felix. Lots of strong passes and tackles led to another goal by Felix shortly afterwards. There were some fantastic tackles and great strategic plays by Henry in defence, before Felix and Harry combined to score another beautiful team goal. There was also some great team defence in the face of many short corners over the course of the first half – we lost count after 6!!
Early in the second half, James showed some amazing stick work and, with Edward in support, scored a great goal off a quick run up the field. Dot, Edward and Henry all made some really strong passes, with Dot and Harry positioning themselves really well out on the wings. Great defensive work by Edward and Thomas, in his first outing as Goal Keeper, saved many of Torquay’s efforts on goal, but one slipped through despite a great effort by Thomas.
Again, our team defence was strong against a run of short corners. James made another great few runs up to our forward line, always ably supported by Harry who ran alongside. A final goal to James as we transitioned out of defence saw the final score 5-1 to Newtown.
Under 12
Newtown Strikers vs Newtown Spirit 3-0
Another great contest between the 2 Newtown teams. A feature of the game was our strong tackling in our defensive half and our ability to find players in space, which set up several goal scoring opportunities and several near misses too. Eva, Eliza and Fraser teamed up well all game down back and stopped a lot of the Spirit’s forward game. Well done to Albie as goalie who kept another clean sheet!
3-0 win was well deserved with even contributions from all players.
Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Strikers 0-3
Strikers played Spirit in what was a competitive match but the experience of Strikers prevailed. The first half Strikers dominated territory and had quite a few chances and Eddie R scored for Strikers just before half time.
In the second half Spirit had a few chances deep in attack but couldn’t score. The game opened up and Jack scored twice for Strikers.
Best for Spirit were Ved and Mitch (who was lent from Strikers for the match) who controlled well in the mid field, Chelsea’s defence and long hits through the middle and Harriett’s goal keeping.
Under 14
Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 7-1
U14 Strikers really focused on working as a team this week – and it paid off with a good win over Torquay.
The ball stayed in our half for much of the first 10 mins of the game, which resulted in early goals from Cormac, Jess and Parker. When Torquay did get the ball down their end for a shot at goal, Kassidy was ready – saving a high shot at goal from reaching the scoreboard.
Lucas Y. provided excellent support in the middle to keep the ball in our control, which led to another goal for Cormac late in the first half. This was a great team goal from a nice passage of play involving Lucas Y, Audrey, and Parker.
Torquay came back from the break looking for a goal, but were met with strong defense from Emily and Liz. Kassidy had another great save in goal, before Torquay managed to get on the scoreboard from a second attempt.
Jess added two more goals to our score, and in the last few minutes of the game we applied good pressure in our D allowing Kayden to break through for a final goal – 7-1 and some very happy Strikers. Great work team!
Under 17
Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia White 13-1
Newtown Strikers claimed a resounding victory against Kardinia White, scoring an impressive 13 goals to 1. The game kicked off with a bang as Newtown notched up 3 early goals, including a superb deflection goal by Serena. Their performance showcased excellent movement within the circle, creating numerous scoring opportunities.
The goals were evenly spread, with Nate, Zac, and Surry each contributing 3 goals, with Max and Will also getting on the board. The team demonstrated effective use of width, a tactic honed in training, particularly in bringing the ball out of defence, and we thank Kassidy from the U14 team for filling in again as goalie. This well-deserved win sets a strong tone for the upcoming games, and the Strikers are eagerly anticipating their next game.
Division 1 Women
Newtown Falcons vs Torquay 2-7
In what was a second week of unseasonably warm weather and again running with only 11 players with a number doubling up, this was always going to be a challenging game. That being said, the end scoreline didn’t represent the competitive nature of the game, with Newtown having a number of scoring opportunities, with Hailey converting a short corner and being able to finish off one of the team’s many attacking plays.
Out of defence, Ainley was able to clear Torquay’s offensive press with some great passes to our mid and forward lines. Thanks again to Georgie for playing and organising additional players for the game.
With some of our missing players returning in the coming weeks (hopefully), this will give the team some additional depth and assist with managing player fatigue on the field. Similar to the first week, some good takeaways from the game which we can continue to work on next week.
Division 2 Men
Newtown Falcons vs Geelong Blue 3-2
Newtown Falcons had a sluggish start against Geelong, conceding two early goals in first quarter. We were probably lucky not to concede a couple more. A great strike off a penalty corner by Harry near the end of the first quarter closed the gap, and we were 1-2 at quarter time.
We lifted during the second and third quarters through more talking and pressure. We equalised in the third quarter through a penalty stroke, awarded after Geelong’s keeper collected all of AJ and none of the ball. The final quarter was tight. Both teams played well. With two minutes to go we won a penalty comer and converted, then held on for the las two minutes to win 3-2.
Division 2 Women
Newtown Strikers vs Saints Red 6-0
The warm sunny afternoon made it a great day to play hockey. A bit of reverse psychology from the coach must have worked, and when he told the team that he wanted them to lose the game, there were some strange looks back at him. But the team took to the field, and despite the confusion, were ready to start playing.
Saints attack broke down due to some great defence by Tash, Andie, Rickie, Paige and Deanne. The solid defence prevented Saints from capitalising on any forward moves, with no defensive short corners awarded for the whole game, and not a touch needed from our goalkeeper.
Our forwards, lead by the amazing Ainsley playing in the unfamiliar position of centre as recommended by the assistant coach Parker, were a well co-ordinated team moving the ball into attack frequently. Great teamwork and positioning by all saw Ainsley often lay the ball off for others to run onto and carry the ball into the circle. Good ball skills saw us earn many short corners.
Fantastic vision from Tash and plenty of space given to our forwards allowed some well directed passes to penetrate the midfield and find our forwards with room to move. Georgie, Claudia, Hanna and Charlotte combined well, switching play from one side to the other. With the ball doing the work, the team had plenty left to give and continued to keep the pressure on the Saints defence. In her first game in 11 years, Kim positioned herself well on the post and finished with a hat trick of goals! A short corner goal from Tash set the team up well for a great win.
If we keep doing the basics well, and with such good co-ordination between backs and forwards which keeps things quiet for the keeper, we can look forward to a very enjoyable season.
