Thanks to massive individual goal hauls by Blake Govers and Abby Wilson, the NSW Pride took all the points in their round three Sultana Bran Hockey clash with the Tassie Tigers at Sydney Olympic Park yesterday.
In the first game of the day, the NSW Pride men came up against a very physical and composed Tassie Tigers team lead by Kookaburra’s captain Eddie Ockenden. In their most challenging game of the competition so far, the NSW Pride had to battle some tough, wet conditions for their 4-2 win.
NSW took the lead early in the first quarter thanks to a clinical Blake Govers drag-flick, before a flurry of goals from the Tigers put them ahead heading into the first break.
Govers put the Pride back in the driver’s seat during the second term with two goals right before the main break. He was unlucky not to put them further ahead, after a field goal conversion attempt rebounded off the right upright with one minute to go in the half.
Just three minutes into the third quarter, Govers netted his fourth goal of the game. A stellar goal-keeping display from Grant Woodcock denied the Pride a bigger lead and kept the score line within reach of the Tigers at the final break.
A commanding midfield effort led by Flynn Ogilvie and Kurt Lovett in the final term kept the Tigers firmly pinned in their defensive half until the final two minutes of the game where they unable to capitalise on multiple short corner attempts in the dying minutes.
The win sees the NSW Pride men extend their lead at the top of the Sultana Bran Hockey One League ladder and puts them in a prime position to nab a home semi-final next month.
In the second game of the day, the NSW Pride women registered their first win of the competition with a dominant 5-0 performance over an inexperienced Tassie Tigers team.
Abigail Wilson opened the scoring for the NSW Pride early in match with a darting backstick goal. She then doubled the lead with a successful field goal conversion attempt with an almost identical shot.
She then extended the Pride’s lead shortly before half-time when she slotted a short-corner home. Debutant NSW Pride goal-keeper Jess Parr made some crucial saves during the third term to keep the Tassie Tigers scoreless heading into the last 15 minutes.
After a scrappy final quarter, Wilson put the result beyond doubt late in the final term when she got on the end of some great build up play by her team-mates in the dying minutes. She became the equal highest goal-scorer of the tournament after beating the Tassie goal-keeper to convert her field goal.
The NSW Pride return to Sydney Olympic Park against Hockey Club Melbourne for their final home game of the season next Sunday in a must-win clash for both teams.
Women’s Match Details
NSW Pride 5 (Wilson 5’/5’/27’/60’/60’)
Tassie Tigers 0
Men’s Match Details:
NSW Pride 4 (Govers 5’/25’/29’/33’)
Tassie Tigers 2 (McCambridge 9’ Ockenden 13’)
Saturday October 12th 2019
Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre
