Some fantastic games this week, showing the improvement during the season. With only two weeks to go before the end of the home and away season, we can look forward to some more exciting games before the end.
Under 10 Lloyd Reserve
Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Dynamos 12-3
Newtown Spirit played Newtown Dynamos on a sunny Saturday morning. It was a high scoring game. Spirit moved the ball well and used space on the field. Hugo moved the ball well through the right side, scoring several goals himself or setting up teammates to score. Leon defended strongly and moved the ball wide rather than across goal. Leon even crept forward from the backline to score two goals. Hayden also scored two goals. Other players contributed and were happy to play half of the game with Dynamos.
Newtown Dynamos vs Newtown Spirit 3-12
The match started with an immediate goal to Spirit, probably within 30 seconds. This set the tone for the first half with some very dominant play from key Spirit players. Dynamos were putting up a good fight, particularly Edward and Flynn who were running from the forward line back to defense regularly. Judging by the red faces at half time everybody was exhausted. I lost track of how many goals were scored by Spirit in the first half – maybe 8? Very good team play by Spirit with Hugo in particular setting up his team mates so they could experience a few shots at goal.
After a couple of rounds of oranges and some words from the coach at the half time interval, Dynamos were ready to go again.
In the second half a more competitive game was seen. Again, Edward and Flynn were racing all over the field defending and attacking. Eliza and Kiarah were grimly defending and Albert was way down the forward line getting some action.
Edward had a string of almost goals then managed to get two in. Flynn also hit a very nice goal. The basics that had been discussed by coach Bella at half time were put into action and made all the difference. In the end the score was Spirit 12 to Dynamos 3.
Newtown Rockets vs Newtown Rebels 4-8
Excellent efforts by Rockets in these last few weeks of the season have paid off, with some fantastic passing to team mates, and using the width of the field to create attacks.
Elspeth was under attack in the last line of defence but with fantastic positioning and proactive approach to the oncoming attackers, she stopped many of the Rebels shots at goal. Good passes to team mates on the wings saw Harry and Lilly move the ball forward well, with Lily scoring 3 goals. On the other side of the field, Austin and Ryder co-operated well and used the space down the right wing to get behind the defence, with a goal to Austin. A great game from Nora who moved well to create space, allowing her to receive the ball from team mates and continue the play forward to our advantage. Well done all!
Under 10 Stead Park
Newtown Strikers vs Saints 5-4
Newtown secured a 5-4 victory against the Saints in a closely contested match, thanks to solid contributions right across the board. James transitioned from offence to defence with ease, ending up with 3 goals to his name. Edward’s strong passes were critical in defence and also helped find Harry and Dot out on the wings, setting up key scoring opportunities.
Edward ended up with two goals, including a crucial goal in the final minutes after Dot made a strong run into attack and delivered a perfect pass to Edward. Harry’s work on the wing was fantastic, always there in support when needed and making some great offensive plays of his own.
Huge thanks to our fill-ins Nadia and Will, who stepped up admirably, with Nadia delivering some super strong defensive play in the second half and Will providing excellent positioning and tackling in defence as well.
Under 12
Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 3-2
This was a hard fought 3-2 win. Kardinia closed our space down well and forced us to make a lot of errors. As a team, we struggled to move the move forward fluently and struggled to have clear shots on goal.
Eddy , Joey and Jack all managed to score goals, while Mitch, Albie, Eliza, Paddy , Cooper, Fraser and Georgia all controlled the middle part of the pitch with solid defensive plays and sharp passing.
Newtown Spirit vs Torquay 5-2
A 10 player Spirit came up against a much improved Torquay side who successfully crowded Spirit’s free hits in the first half. Spirit dominated the key moments and Georgia gave a nice pass to Alex for a goal and Ved finished off nicely for a 2-0 lead at half time.
Spirit sped the game up after half time to counter Torquay’s strong defence. Alex and Chelsea did a nice one two pass from a short corner in the second half for another Alex goal. Torquay got a goal back and had several long range counter attacks. Jack scored and then Elwood got his first goal of the season before Torquay scored late. An even match but Spirit deserved the win. Spirit 5-2 Torquay.
Under 14
Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 2-6
Whilst the scorecard recorded another loss to top-of-the-table Kardinia, there was a lot to like about the Strikers this week!
Kayden donned the goalie gear for the first time, and showed from the very start of the game he was up to the task. Many great saves throughout the game, including a high save that might have otherwise been a goal over his head! I think we’ll see Kayden in the keeper position again this season.
Our second half efforts included some of the best hockey we’ve played all year – including a strong start with two short corners to kick things off. Within the first five minutes Parker scored two goals with some great assistance from Cormac and Jess, leaving us only one goal away from levelling the scores.
With the score at 3-2 the whole team sensed the opportunity that was on the table and stepped up. Lucy and Lilly provided good pressure and were able to intercept the ball away from Kardinia, whilst Maidie was unlucky in front of goals.
Kardinia proved too strong in the end, with the final score 6-2. That’s the Strikers’ best margin against Kardinia – half what it was back in round 3 and shows just how far the team has come this year. Well done everyone!!
Under 17
Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia Blue 0-4
Division 1 Women
Newtown Falcons vs Saints Black 4-9
Despite the score, this was a great game from Falcons. Down 1-4 at one stage, the players fought back to draw 4-4. However, Saints continued to push hard into attack and scored some very hard to stop goals.
Division 1 Men
Newtown Falcons vs Torquay 1-6
Newtown Falcons played Torquay on an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon. It was a tight first half, with Torquay leading 1-0. It was great to have Phil, Luca, Mitch and Tom E as inclusions to the team. All played well and made strong contributions.
In the second half, the game opened up with Torquay scoring three goals in the third quarter, while we couldn’t quite convert from the corners we won. In the fourth quarter, we scored a goal, which was a nice reward for our hard work. The final result was 6-1 and probably not reflective of a competitive game through the middle of the ground.
Division 2 Women
Newtown Strikers vs Torquay Tornadoes 0-3
Despite some great defence from Kirsty, Alex and Ricky and some equally fantastic attacking moves from Kim, Tash, Claudia, Hanna and Sofia, the result did not go our way. It seemed as if the Torquay keeper had a magnet in her pads which just seemed to draw the ball to her.
Some great teamwork and effective passing was great to see and with only 2 games to go before the finals, we are looking to finish well.
