Newtown City Hockey Club Inc. » Tag » senior hockey

Tag Archives: senior hockey

2023 Hockey Season – Semi-Finals Success

By | |
Leave a comment
2023 Hockey Season – Semi-Finals Success

The high point of the hockey season has arrived, when teams can showcase their improvement during the year and put it all together in the Finals series.

Congratulations to the 9 teams who participated in the Semi-Finals, and commiserations to those who have now finished their hockey for this season. But just wait until the next hockey season!

Well done to the teams who earned the right to continue, with 2 teams into the Grand Final and 4 teams playing this week in Preliminary Finals.

Under 12

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 1-0

A long-awaited win for the Strikers finally arrived this Saturday.  The team definitely peaked at the right time as the win assured them a spot in the playoff for second and third place against the Spirit next week.

Every single player in the Strikers team played to the best of their abilities with great teamwork demonstrated by all. This was evident in the fantastic goal scored by Parker but set up by the whole team to get the ball down the field.

A big thank you to Dan for all his encouragement and patience in coaching the Strikers this season.

 Newtown Spirit vs Torquay 0-2

Torquay had beaten Spirit 4 times this season with one draw early in the season. The score two weeks ago was 9-0 against a depleted Spirit side. Spirit was optimistic for this game with a near full strength team.

Spirit started well and got behind the Torquay defence a couple of time. Torquay worked their way into the game and despite great defence scored just before half time. Spirit defended honourably throughout the second half with the majority of the game played inside their half.

It was 0-1 until half way through the second half when Torquay scored a second goal. A tough game for Spirit who put in 100% effort and made their parents proud against the best team in the competition.

Under 14

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia Blue – 1-1 at full time, 2-1 on penalty shootout

Well, what an exciting game for the U14 Strikers this week as they faced off against Kardinia Blue this week for the opportunity to go straight through to the Grand Final. Before the game Kurt spoke to all the players and implored them to put into place all the things they had worked on during the year. He asked the players to look for opportunities to use the width of the ground, use their voices to call for the ball and communicate to their team-mates and take aggressive opportunities inside the circle.

The first half was very close as expected and the ball moved freely back and forth up the ground with Letto making a few great saves, Ollie L, Ruby, Kashvi, and Riley holding tight in defence and Ollie W unlucky not to score after trapping a great Will through ball into the circle.. Unfortunately, eventually Kardinia were able to get the first score of the game and went into half time leading 1-0.

At half time Kurt’s message was just to continue pushing and creating opportunities and that we were still right in the game. After a few more close opportunities the Strikers finally forced another short corner and Zac was able to finish with a great goal to bring the game back to level. The rest of the half saw the two teams both create opportunities with Letto again saving several goals and at full time they couldn’t be separated, and the game went to penalties.

Will got the team off to a great start, scoring off the first penalty to put the Strikers in front followed by some great saves by Letto until Kardinia managed a score off a great second effort to level. It was then Kashvi who stepped up, took the ball wide and found the opening to put the Strikers in front with one player remaining. It was another great save from Letto who closed out the penalties and delivered a victory to the Strikers. The team were very excited and looking forward to playing in the Grand Final in two weeks’ time.

Under 17

Newtown Strikers vs Newtown Spirit 7-2

The Newtown showdown was held and didn’t disappoint. The early stages were opened by Tom scoring first of five goals to him. Chloe and Lara headed up the wings through to pole to back up their chances of scoring and came so close. Alex and Amelia were in the back and providing support to Mai in goals, even bringing balls down from aerial attacks. Luca and Anya were our halves and didn’t disappoint in their roles with sending the ball out wide or in the air when needed.

Serena was marking everyone in the D and was rewarded with a goal on the rebound. Grace has come a long way this year with her running and being in the right place to send the ball up for grabs with our attacking options. Surry was also rewarded with a goal and made great saves when it mattered. Brandon throughout the game made great position and attacked when needed.

A great game from everyone.

Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Strikers 2-7

The semi final between the two Newtown teams commenced with lots of pressure on Spirit. Leo passed the ball onto Hugh pretty quickly who had two players on him as he arrived to move the ball forward. The ball spent a lot of time in Spirit’s forward with the help from Hamish who provided a couple of short corner opportunities. Hamish, Scarlett, Felix, Charlotte and Karla tried their hardest to get a short corner but unfortunately didn’t prevail. Max had some great runs, but by half time Strikers had two short corners. Madden saved an amazing goal and Ruby and Kayla worked hard in defence. 

Half time scores Strikers 5 – Spirit 0. 

The third quarter started with an early short corner for Spirit, unfortunately no goal. However, a good run in from behind the 25 from Charlotte saw Spirit score their first goal. Not long after, Max forced it into the D that gave Felix the opportunity to score Spirit’s second goal. 

Two short corner opportunities in the last quarter, and two goals for Strikers saw the final scores Strikers 7 and Spirit 2. 

We wish the Strikers best of luck against Kardinia in the preliminary final next week. 

That is a wrap for U17 Newtown Spirit, thank you to the team for showing up and playing their hearts out each week. Thanks to anyone that filled in for us over the season and the parents, for cheering on the sidelines, making sure the team had oranges and helped out with canteen duty. Most importantly, the biggest thank you to Rachel for taking time out to coach an incredible team. 

Division 1 Men

The Newtown Falcons defeated Saints Red 10-0 on a warm and sunny Sunday. It was great to welcome back Nik after surgery and Phil after being unavailable for a few weeks. We started strongly and scored four goals in the first quarter.

We played well through the middle of the game and then finished strongly with three goals in the fourth quarter. Highlights included Harry’s five goals, Tom’s drag flick goal and Leo edge past the keeper after receiving an overhead ball in the circle. It was a great effort by the team. Thanks for all the support on the sidelines. We look forward to playing Torquay on Saturday evening.

Editor’s note:  great combination between Sean and Leo to score a fantastic goal – reminiscent of Kieran Govers’ 2014 World Cup goal for the Kookaburras but in a more crowded goal circle.

Division 1 Women

Newtown Falcons vs Saints 0-3

Division 2 Men

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay Tornadoes 0-8

Torquay came out strong in the first quarter of the Semi Final, scoring 3 goals. Despite only having 11 players, the Strikers lifted in the 2nd half, narrowly missing goal with a number of attacks and limiting the Torquay goals.

After the game, coach David congratulated the team on a well conducted season, despite us often being low on players. He pointed to the achievement of being able to create a competitive Division 1 team. Special thanks to Prabha and Callum for coming to support the team even though they couldn’t play.

Well done Strikers! Onwards and upwards for next year!

Division 2 Women

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 4-0

 

 

2023 Hockey Season – August 19 & 20

By | |
Leave a comment

The last round of the 2023 hockey season this week highlighted the results which can be achieved with practice and persistence. We move into the finals series next week, and with all 9 teams in the finals there’s plenty of anticipation, and plenty to cheer for.

Under 8

Some great play from both U8 teams this week, highlighting the improvement in skills and hockey smarts since the beginning of the year. Well done to all.

Under 10

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 1-0

Under 12

Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Strikers 0-0

Under 14

Newtown Strikers Bye

Under 17

Newtown Spirit vsKardinia Blue 3-6

The last game for the winter season was off to a great start.  Spirit had two great opportunities at goal with short corners won by Max. Great team work was displayed when Hugh had several Kardinia players on him, however was able to get the ball to Karla and Max for a short corner.  First quarter ended with Leo having a great run with the ball into Spirit’s forward.  Great toss in by Zac, which was picked up by Leo who flicked it up across the D, unfortunately Hugh was just out of reach to shoot for a goal. Good run by Max and another shot at goal. Half time Spirit held Kardinia to two goals, Madden saved four goals and Spirit had four opportunities at goal. 

Ruby, Kayla and Georgia had their work cut out for them in the third quarter, an early short corner for Kardinia saw them score and soon after a second short corner saw Kardinia score their fourth goal. An option presented for Spirit with a short corner. Pushed out by Georgia, and persistence by Hamish got the ball to Nate who was in a great position to score. 

Last quarter the was fairly even with the ball spending time in both teams halves. Spirit had an opportunity with a short corner but unfortunately didn’t score and the ball headed into Kardinia’s forward, however Leo and Tessa got the ball back into Spirit’s forward that saw Max get their second goal. The game finished with Spirit getting a short corner on the whistle. The last play saw Georgia push out the ball and Max scoring yet again. 

An amazing game, the final scores, Kardina 6 Spirit 3. A big thank you to Zac Wingbert for helping the Spirit team with numbers this week.  Players player this week went to Max. However, everyone in the team received a vote. 

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 2-6

Division 1 Men

Newtown Falcons vs Saints Black 2-2

The Newtown Falcons drew 2-2 with Saints Black on a warm and somewhat sunny Sunday.

The Saints scored first with their injector tapping in a rebound from a penalty corner. We scored soon after in the second quarter with Harry weaving his way into the circle and then flicking the ball past the Saints keeper into the top left of the goal. The second quarter was tight. Unfortunately the Saints scored on the turnover a minute before half time. The third and fourth quarters were also tight, we had our chances, but were denied by strong defence from the Saints. Campbell also made some great saves to deny the Saints a third goal.

We earned a penalty corner in the final seconds of the game, and had to take the corner after full time. We managed to get a shot away, the GK cleared it, we intercepted the clearance, chaos ensued and we were awarded another corner. On our second corner, Leo flicked the ball into the bottom left corner to equalise.

It was a great effort by the team and a very encouraging performance in the lead up to finals. Shout-outs to Campbell for many great saves in the net and Tom P for volunteering to umpire on Saturday.

Division 1 Women

Newtown Falcons vs Saints 3-0

Division 2 Men

Newtown Strikers vs Saints White 3-7

Division 2 Women

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 0-0

Check out the finals fixtures here.

2023 Hockey Season – August 5 & 6

By | |
Leave a comment

The 2023 hockey season has proven to be an exciting one for our teams. In an unusual year, all teams will be in the finals, partly due to the limited number of teams in the competition. With many teams showing significant improvement in the latter part of this hockey season, the finals could prove to be even more exciting! Anything can happen on the day!

Under 6

The U6 players are honing their skills while having fun with games and drills. There was some great work in the ‘Rob the Nest’ game this week, with players collecting and delivering the balls well from the middle.

Under 8

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong Jaguars

On a beautiful Saturday morning this week the U8 Strikers revealed their true identity and played exceptional team hockey. Fierce in defense and keen in attack, their play across the field exhibited a greater understanding of Hockey than at any other point this season. With the end of this year’s winter season fast approaching, the improvement from the entire team has been incredible. Excellent, excellent work guys!!!

On a very pleasing note, Miriam really stood out this week and scored a wonderful second half goal. It was great to see her shed her apprehension of the contest and “get involved”. Well done Miriam and congratulation on being this week’s “Player of the Round”.

Charlie and Thomas were once again a joy to observe and a real delight to have in the team. Tess was solid in the midfield and ably assisted by Henry, who for the second week in a row picked up the”player of the Round” with Miriam. Well done!!

And finally, a very big thank you to Nadia who fought off wave after wave of the Geelong City attacks while she was playing at fullback. Brilliant Nadia!

Have a great week and see everyone Saturday morning.

Newtown Spirit vs Saints

This was one of Spirit’s best games for this hockey season with players showing great skills and good understanding of game strategy and positioning.

Great focus on the ball saw Caspar and Lily create forward moves and goal scoring opportunities on many occasions, with support from Abby and Esther.  Midfield defence from Leila, Claire and Cohen blocked many Saints moves and passed the ball to team mates in good position.

Flynn and Elspeth at full back coming well to guard the goals and prevented Saints from scoring successfully.

Best Team Player awards to Caspar and Flynn.

Under 10

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 1-2

U/10 Strikers played a terrific game against top-ranked Torquay. We were missing Tom, our spiritual heart in defence, and Georgia, our tenacious attacking forward, due to a broken arm and toe respectively. But Miriam and James stepped up from the U/8 and filled their shoes admirably.

First half was all about our defensive efforts, with Miriam saving an almost certain goal, Paige seamlessly playing the role of full-back in her first go at that position and Joe just getting in amongst it wherever he could. Despite our best efforts, Torquay scored in the first half and again early in the second half.

We spent a lot more time in attack in the second half, with Joe having a great run towards goal supported by Dot in perfect position on the post. Great defence again down the other end by Miriam saved another certain goal to Torquay. A final run up forward by Paddy late in the match, again ably supported by Dot on the wing, resulted in a much-deserved Newtown goal.

Final score of 2-1 was a huge improvement on earlier efforts against Torquay and was celebrated by sausages and flavoured milk by all!!

Under 12

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 2-3

A fantastic game for the Under 12 Strikers this week with a 3-2 loss to the leaders of the competition to date – Torquay. Audrey played an amazing game and was rewarded with a goal in the first half.

Parker scored in the second half set up by some great defence by Lily. The score was quickly matched by Torquay who then went on to score a third goal in the last part of the game. The Torquay coach said at the end of the game it was the toughest match they have played all season which is a credit to the amazing improvement this team has made.

A big thank you to Hayden Francis for coaching while Dan was away.

Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia 1-1

This was the game to probably decide who qualifies second and third. Kardinia started well with an early short corner goal and went to half time 1 goal ahead.

Spirit opened the game up in the second half and there were numerous attacks but not enough polish to score. Four short corners to Spirit in the second half and finally Lucas Young scored after a couple of short passes found some space.

Spirit dominated and should have won but could not find that final touch. Spirit 1-1 Kardinia and should secure Spirit second place who are 5 points ahead with 2 games to go.

Under 14

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia Blue 1-0

Another really tight match for the Strikers against a tough team in Kardinia Blue. The Strikers started well, moving the ball well around the field and using the pass back to either Will or Kashvi to great effect to open up the field. The Strikers created some great chances with Baxter going on a tremendous run and just missing with the shot. Fortunately, Zac was on target from a short corner strike and got the Strikers on the board and they went into half time up 1-0.

Kurt asked the team for their feedback at half time and the key themes from the players were there wasn’t enough communication, and they weren’t using the width of the field as much as they could. It was terrific to hear the players able to do their own self assessments and showing what they had learned about the game from this season. Kurt stressed that if they can do these basics it will take the team to another level and also emphasised that the players should work together in organising themselves into positions and set up the play.

The second half saw the Strikers create offensive opportunities with some great aggressive crosses into the circle but and could have easily added a couple more goals if things had gone our way. Kashvi continued to relish the move a little further up the ground to half back and was able to make a number of intercepts while supported by Oliver L, Ruby and Riley who has brought some great run since he came back into the team. In the end the score stayed 1-0 in a scoreless but entertaining second half.

Under 17

Newtown Strikers vs Newtown Spirit 4-2

Overseeing the strikers this week was Tom and Luca. Everyone played their roles well and made great position.

Chloe was on fire throughout the game running onto anything that came her way. Lara knew her position well and ran to the post any chance she had. Mai was solid in goals and when something got around her Amelia was there to back her up. Serena was able to tap the ball in for a goal and Anya was calling out plays. Alex had a great game stopping the ball anytime it came her way. Welcome back Surry who made the team work together with Grace.

A great win over our Newtown colleagues.

Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Strikers 2-4

Very cold weather this Saturday compared to the sunny morning we had last weekend.  The game started with Spirit’s defence on alert, Ruby had her work cut out for her. There was an early short corner to give Strikers an opportunity at goal, but Spirit’s defence was too good. A couple of shots at goal that were defended well by the Spirit team, in particular, Hugh saved a great shot at goal. Felix almost got a goal in the last minutes of the first quarter. 

Second quarter there was a lot of talking by the Spirit team. The team work and support was evident. Spirit had to defend two short corners, the second one saw Strikers score the first goal for the game. 

The third quarter started with an early goal by Strikers, which was followed quickly by a short corner that Hamish defended really well.  Great play by Max and Felix up the line saw a short corner for Spirit. Nate did an amazing job against Strikers defence. The ball was soon back in Spirit’s forward zone and Charlotte had the Strikers goalie on the ground.

Last quarter started with an early goal by Strikers. Teamwork by Leo, Hugh, up the line saw the ball in Spirit’s forward zone which saw Nate score Spirit’s first goal for the game.  Strikers retaliated quickly another goal. Ruby was critical in clearing the ball out of the D.  The game finished with a great ball by Hugh to Leo into the D for a goal to be scored by Max. 

Players player went to Max this week. 

Division 1 Men

Newtown Falcons vs Saints Red 2-3

Newtown Falcons played Saints Red on Sunday.  For the first time in several weeks we had 11 players, which was a relief (particularly for Ash Quick!). We also welcomed Harry B back to the team after being unavailable for many weeks due to representative duties.

We started strongly against the Saints, and had the majority of the play. We moved the ball well out of defence and through the mid-field. Harry had some great runs into the circle which drew several short corners. Credit should go to the Saints keeper and defence for saving several strong shots. Tom P scored first to give us a 1-0 lead at quarter time.

Following quarter time, we continued to move the ball well, but couldn’t convert attacking opportunities into goals. We weren’t able to find clear space in the circle and get to the posts.

In contrast, the Saints were able to convert their attacking opportunities into goals. We were 3-1 down in the final quarter and lifted, with Tom P scoring a second goal with a desperate lunge towards a rebound from the Saints keeper.

We will need to convert our attacking opportunities in the coming weeks including finals, and will practise converting opportunities in training.

Thanks in particular to Madden for stepping up and keeping for us.

Division 1 Women

Newtown Falcons vs HG Sharks 5-0

This game was awarded as a 5-0 forfeit by HG Sharks but some sharing of players resulted in a scratch game and a 1-0 scoreline at the end.

This proved to be one of the Falcons best games for this year with some precise passes from Ainsley and Beth in defence finding Rosie and Jane leading to spaces to pick up the ball and continue the attack.  Great midfield defence by Georgia, Alex and Rachel didn’t allow the Sharks free rein and frequently turned the play back to our advantage.  Great support in the forward line from Scarlett, Emily and Audrey pushed the ball forward and kept Falcons in the play with many chances in the circle.

Division 2 Men

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay Tornadoes 1-4

Division 2 Women

Newtown Strikers vs Saints 3-0

Strikers are continuing their stellar season, sitting on top of the ladder, and leading into the finals with 8 wins to their credit.

The team is combining well from the back line all the way to the attacking goal. Alex and Kirsty are a formidable barrier at full back, well backed up by Rachel in goals.  Strong and determined play in the midfield from Tash, Kat, Andie met any Saints attacks early and redirected the play forward. An adaptable forward line with plenty of running and great ball control skills saw Charlotte, Hanna, Claudia, Serena, Georgie and Peta all having an impact on the game, getting behind the Saints defence on many occasions.

An excellent game from all.

 

 

 

2023 Hockey Season – June 3 & 4

By | |
Leave a comment

A highlight of the 2023 hockey season was the Newtown Hockey Club Day, held on Sunday June 4.  With 9 Newtown teams all playing at Stead Park on the same day, there was plenty of great hockey to watch and teams to cheer for.

Voting for the ‘Player of the Day’ on Sunday gathered at least 10 players nominated in each category. After tallying the votes, the winners were:

  • Junior Male Player of the Day – equal winners Alex Lockhart and Lucas Young
  • Junior Female Player of the Day – Eva Hunt
  • Senior Male Player of the Day – Phil Dreyer
  • Senior Female Player of the Day – Ruby Moon

The sausage sizzle and the cupcakes on offer were well received, providing some welcome fuel for players after their game – and sometimes before! The raffle prize went to Leo De Leiros.

And then of course there were the matches too!

The club’s youngest players continued their usual format of games on Saturday, with some excellent play at Lloyd Reserve.

Under 6

Some great passing skills shown by the U6 players with good ball control and dribbling will be even better as they learn the strategies of the game of hockey too.

Under 8

Newtown Spirit vs Saints

First of all let me offer a warm welcome to 2 new team members to the Spirit.  Elspeth and Lily had their first game and were straight into the action showing some great skills. It was another great outing for the Spirit against the Saints for the 2nd time this season.  To even up the team numbers both Caspar and James played a half each for the Saints which was really appreciated. It’s really great seeing the skills improve each week and the games are now moving along at a great pace. James was rock solid back in defence for the first half and had a number of great runs that resulted in scores.  Elspeth and Lily made some great moves down the right side, Cohen worked up and down the centre linking up well with James and Leila.  Abby and Esther were providing plenty of run and options down the left.

In the second half Caspar replaced James down back and made a number of great saves.  Overall another great performance from the Spirit and was fantastic to see great support on the sidelines given the inclement weather.  Don’t forget there are no games for this weekend due to the King’s Birthday long weekend so have a great break and we’ll see you all on the 17th June.

Best Team Player Awards to James and Abby.

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong Jaguars

Newtown Strikers fielded a full strength team this week as we took on Geelong Jaguars.

The first half saw Thomas score Newtown’s only goal. Opportunistically, he swooped in on a defensive blunder by Geelong and slotted an elegant goal. Excellent vision Thomas and congratulations on being the joint recipient of this week’s “Player of the Round”. Thomas shared that award with Charlie who was a real stand out in defence and has been instrumental in the Strikers success this season. Well done boys! Keep up the great work.

Eliza had another wonderful match in the mid field and had two long range runs during the second half, testing and probing the Jaguars defence. Tess really stood tall this week in the mid field too. She didn’t shy away when contesting the ball and it’s been a real joy to see her flourish in the last two weeks. Keep up the great work girls!

It was excellent to have Henry back this week and he had a great game on the left wing. Focusing on the play and always being available to help a teammate. Special mentions go to Nadia and Miriam whose ball skills continue to develop nicely.

Keep up the great work Strikers and enjoy this weekend’s break. See everyone in a fortnight.

Under 10

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 1-6

A much better game from Newtown Strikers saw a 2 goal improvement from the last match against Torquay.  Torquay’s strength and speed still posed challenges, but confident possession of the ball from Joe, Georgia, Paige and Paddy and better focus on spreading out and playing to position by all allowed Newtown to create some attacks. Great running and supporting positions, even though often unrewarded, from Alexis and Winnie earned them 2 of the Best Team Player Awards for this week.

Strong defence and good positioning by Campbell and Tom blocked Torquay’s path to the goal on many occasions.  Great teamwork between Georgia and Paige saw the ball travel down the right wing and Paige’s determination to hold possession saw her continue on to score the team’s goal.  Good midfield backup from Edward and great movement on the forward line from Vicky underline the improvement in the team’s focus on the ball and the options for gaining possession.

Best Team Player Award also to Paige.

Under 12

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 0-5

The Strikers put on a gallant effort against Torquay on Sunday morning despite having four of their regular players away. They were unlucky to lose 5-0 as they held off Torquay’s strength for the majority of the game.

Alex provided some strong and reliable defending and Eva’s accurate goal keeping prevented the score being higher. Thank you to Alexis and Sophie who stepped up and played for the Strikers.

Newtown Spirit vs Kardinia 3-1

Newtown started off strong with an early goal from Evelyn who tapped in a Jessica pass. Kardinia evened the score up before half time.

Kardinia pressed hard in the second half and had numerous opportunities with Spirit relying on the counter attack. Lucas Y scored off a short corner which is Spirit’s second short corner goal in two weeks. Another counter attack late in the game saw Ishe centre the ball for Evelyn to score a second. Spirited defence late in the game saw the final score Spirit 3-1 Kardinia.

Under 14

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 0-3

With the move to a Sunday fixture this week the Strikers were without some key personnel for a tough match-up with Torquay. The Strikers competed strongly early, working hard to win the ball, and endeavouring wherever possible to move the ball into space. Torquay though were able to set up very well behind the ball and were able to cut off the Newtown attacks and eventually Torquay managed to score the only goal from a very even first half. Kurt implored the team to take more time when they took possession and be prepared to wait and draw forward to opposition to create passing opportunities. The distribution from defence by Oliver L, playing his first game for the Strikers, was a highlight as was the defensive stopping work of Riley and ball movement of Kashvi who had moved up to the half back line.

The second half started with Torquay moving the ball extremely well and making space through their offensive half, but some great defensive efforts from Ruby at full back held them at bay. Unfortunately, the pressure from Torquay eventually proved too much and they were able to add a couple more goals to the score Torquay were denied another goal though by Arthur, as goalie, making a great save in a 1v1 penalty stroke. In the last few minutes Newtown ran out the game strongly and were able to create some scoring opportunities with Hamish doing some great running on the wing to get into scoring positions, but the Torquay defence was able to hold them out and the game finished in defeat at 3-0.

Overall, Kurt was happy with the efforts from the team and the Strikers will head to training to continue working on some strategies to move the ball through a well structed defence like Torquay provided and hopefully reverse the result in the return fixture.

Under 17

Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Strikers 6-5

What a great way to celebrate all things Newtown.

Sunday morning through the fog the U17 Spirit played Strikers.

Both teams were without their regular goalies and we were so pleased to have Karla stepping into some big boots and put on the gear. It did take a huge community effort to get her kitted up and unfortunately Strikers snuck in and scored early. We made our impact with Hamish and Max both scoring in the first quarter. Lots of strong defence from captain Georgia kept Spirit in the game

The game saw the ball moved all over the field with some lifts and strong free hits. Lots of action along the outer edge of the field kept the game interesting. The score was locked at 2 all at half time.

After half time Spirit had a great passage of play that allowed Charlotte to find the sweet spot at the top corner of the net. Then Leo hit a text book tomma goal. Felix, Scarlett and Hamish kept leading to the goals allowing some good connecting plays between Leo, Max and Hugh

Three quarter time and the scores were locked at 4 all. Nate and Charlotte scoring in the last quarter to bring the score line to 6-5. Max had awesome game covering a huge amount of field, Leo pulled off a great goal and today our Player’s Player goes to Karla.

Well done everyone.

Division 1 Men

Newtown Falcons vs Geelong Blue 2-1

The Newtown Falcons played Geelong Blue at 5pm on Sunday, the last game of Club Day.

With a couple of injuries, the late timeslot and several players still “maybe” as at Sunday afternoon, numbers were shaky, but we managed to pull together a team of 10. Thanks particularly to AJ for playing at 12.30 and then returning in the evening to play again.

We started the game strongly but were unable to score in the first quarter. In the second quarter, we won our first corner and Basyl converted with a strong strike.

Despite having only 10 players and Geelong having a full bench, we managed to maintain our intensity in the second half. Phil and Basyl combined down the right hand side for our second goal.

Geelong scored a late goal, but we were able to hang on and come away with a rousing win.

Division 1 Women

Newtown Falcons vs Torquay 1-5

Division 2 Men

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong White 1-7

Division 2 Women

Newtown Strikers vs Torquay 4-1

The weather had many people eject from the game at the last minute due to work, covid and other unreasonable excuses 😉 … hockey comes first … come on kids.

The sausages were sizzling and the sun was out. Many of us resisted the temptation to eat a cupcake prior to the start of the game…. others regretting their life choices later in the game.

With a solid striking attack up forward Charlotte, Claudia, Claire, Kellie, Jane, Georgie and Hanna were linking in and out making quick work of their maths homework. Isosceles, accute, scalene, equilateral and right angles were all getting a work out. But none of us were obtuse. Never obtuse…

A great run forward from Charlotte, with support coming in behind her meant that a shot at goal and the perfect deflected angle off the keepers pads from her backup pinged into the backboard giving us a 1-0 lead early in the game.

Solid defence led by a super pumped up Jeanie kept them out for most of the game. Yet again, the awesome marking from Dee, Andi and Hannah meant that Tash was freed up and could hit her awesome bullet balls forward, backed up by Alex picking up anyone who slipped through with her legendary sweep tackles.

Kat led from the middle, creating structure and forward movement. The next three goals were team goals, linking in and passing round rather than trying to go through the goalie. Torquay managed to convert a short corner, no assists from Newtown players this week 😉

Our number one fan was out and cheering, whilst coaching, (Paul’s positivity always makes for a fun game). Thanks to our cheer squad for coming out again this week, a special mention to our youngest supporter and future player Margot who attended her first game.

 

 

 

2023 Hockey Season – May 6 & 7

By | |
Leave a comment
2023 Hockey Season – May 6 & 7

Round 2 of the 2023 hockey season saw some excellent matches and some very skillful play and team strategies.

Under 6

Although the U6 players might be small in number and small in size, they show great skills and willingness to learn.  There was some excellent dribbling and pushing in this week’s session and it was good to see the children having fun.

Under 8

Newtown Spirit vs Geelong

The experienced players of the Spirit team, James and Caspar, led the way in the game against Geelong, with great focus on the ball and excellent passing skills.  Our newer players made great contributions with Flynn successfully defending the goal on many occasions, and well considered free passes to team mates in space.  Abby and Esther co-operated well on the right, with determined efforts to obtain possession and move the ball into attack.  Leila was always in good position to intercept Geelong’s forward moves and used the space down the wing to send the ball toward our goal. Claire and Will positioned themselves in the centre channel, creating an obstacle to Geelong’s progress.

Best Team Player Awards to Leila and Abby.

Newtown Strikers vs Saints

Another fantastic game was enjoyed by both teams during Round 2 on the weekend.

In only their second game as a team, the Strikers demonstrated excellent teamwork throughout the contest, with ball skills and passing both improved significantly from Round 1. Henry, Tess, Nadia and Charlie were standouts in attack, making run after run towards the Saints goal. While Miriam, Eliza and Thomas were ever present in defense, tackling beautifully to keep the Saints scoring opportunities at bay.

Fantastic game Newtown Strikers U8’s. Keep up the great work!

Under 10

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia 2-2

The U/10 Strikers welcomed Georgia and Winnie to their team in their match against Kardinia. A great run by Paige up forward, ably supported by Georgia and Paddy, resulted in an early goal for Newtown. A couple of impressive intercept passes by Paddy in the forward line kept the pressure up on Kardinia, but they did manage an equalising goal midway through the first half.

Some huge defensive efforts from Felix ended up in a second, epic goal by Paige shortly before half time. The second half was then all about defence, with Campbell and Edward joining Felix to basically create a solid wall in defence. Kardinia did sneak in one more goal, but a particular standout defensive effort saw the ball transition seamlessly from Campbell to Vicki to Paige to Georgia – great team play! Georgia, Paige and Dot also supported each other well in attack but that last goal remained elusive, and we ended up with a 2-2 draw.

Best Team Player Awards to Felix, Edward and Georgia.

Under 12

Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Strikers 3-2

Newtown Spirit had a slow start and were trailing 2-0 at half time. However in the second half they made a comeback with Jess scoring 2 goals and Lucas Y scoring one. Thank you to Joe and Ishe from Under 10s for filling in.

Under 14

Newtown Strikers vs Kardinia Maroon 7-0

A great second game for the U14 Newtown Strikers with the team able to record their first win of the season. The Strikers continued to gel together as a team and had excellent contributions from all players in a resounding 7-0 victory that was great to watch.

Continuing to build flexibility in the team, Kurt threw some players the challenge of playing in different positions and all players took to their roles and applied themselves with aplomb. The movement of the ball through the attacking zones in particular was great and some astute passing inside the circle opened up some great opportunities for goal. The Strikers shared the scoring and had five different goal scorers with Zac and Bella two each and Baxter, George and Oliver also finding the back of the goals.

The defence was also tremendous at repelling any Kardinia forays forward with Will patrolling the centre and distributing out to the wings regularly to create attacking opportunities. Kurt was particularly pleased to see the implementation of the strategies the team had worked on at training with great spread of players and more even use of both wings. It really shows the value of everyone getting along to training, and we certainly encourage all players to get there when they can.

Overall, it was great to see the team being able to deliver on the coach’s instructions and continuing to build together as a unit for a first win in what looks like great signs for the season ahead. Well done Strikers.

Under 17

Newtown Strikers vs Newtown Spirit 2-2

Firstly a big thank you to Nate Harding and George O’Neill from helping out Strikers on Saturday.

A good game from all involved and listening to our coach Harry re passes being short and directly to someone from our team. Chloe and Serena were working hard following up the ball. Brandon and Tilly never knew when to quit as ball came to them.

Nate successfully found the back of the net twice meaning we tied with Spirit. George made great position throughout the field and long and short passes from Amelia down the backline in defence. Mai in goals was amazing.

Newtown Spirit vs Newtown Strikers 2-2

Another beautiful morning out at Stead Park today.  This game saw excellent sportsmanship with Nate putting his hand up to assist the other Newtown team to even up the numbers for what ended up being a great game to watch. 

In the first half the Spirit team defended two very quick short corners by the opposition. Max did a great job clearing these out.  Spirit started to get their momentum with the ball spending time up forward with three opportunities at goal, it took a short corner soon after that was pushed out by Ruby and saw Leo score the first goal for the game.  The end of the first half saw spirit working hard to defend the goals. 

The second started strong, the team held good positions that provided Leo opportunities to move the ball forward.  Felix and Georgia working together and almost scoring and then Max scored within minutes of the third quarter starting. Defending was important during this half, it saw Madden defending and stopping several goals. 

The game finished with a two all draw. Formation and good team work was prevalent during this match. 

A great game that saw Max take out best player followed closely by Leo. 

Senior Men

Newtown Falcons vs Navigators 10-1

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong Blue 3-2

Great to see Dane score a goal in his second ever hockey match.

Division 1 Women

Newtown Falcons – Bye

Division 2 Women

Newtown Strikers vs Geelong 5-0

We were all set for a great match, but unfortunately Geelong had to forfeit the game due to lack of players. We were really looking forward to seeing our new recruit, Jane, on the field but we will have to wait for this week!