19 Jun Womens 9th Grade
Women’s 9th Grade May 19th 2019
It was a sunny May morning and two titans were about to do battle for the North West Sydney women’s division D, pole position Sydney Uni 9s grade and the dreaded Briars 5th grade. Our valiant 9th Grade women began with the usual pre-match warm up where the heat of the day truly started to make its presence known. Half a bottle of sunblock and a brisk jog around the field later and it was time to begin.
From the very start, both teams showed grit and determination for control of the game with fluctuating possession. Briars however took the upper hand and began pouring pressure on the Sydney defence. However the ever cool and collected defenders Claudia Hall and Hillary Cairns, would begin to turn the tide. Continuously connecting balls to and from our stoic halves and up the sidelines, allowed for several rapid counter attacks that would force Briars back into their half and allow the prowess of Carmen Dinh, Elle Tsai and Helen Douglas to come to light. Although the pressure was there and a number of short corners, Sydney Uni just seemed unable to convert.
Going into the third quarter, the game began to favour Briars. With the heat bearing down and the evening before quickly catching up, everyone’s lapses in concentration and communication began to appear and Briars seized the moment and took a quick two goal lead despite the best efforts of the valiant Olivia Aitken in goal.
True to recent form however this would spur our team of heroes in the fourth period and constant attack began. In the remaining 17 minutes, with Simone Young taking control of the field with her fellow halves Alysha Prakash and Phoebe De Raeve linking passes to the ever brilliant Rowena Butland, who was now seizing every opportunity and playing a one-two game with inners Honoree Lain, Hannah Sidorko and (the playing out of her normal position) Harriet “I’m a forward” Watson. Managing to get another short corner Kate “I’m actually on the field for a short corner finally” Barrow stepped up to the plate and managed to finally send one home taking the game to a close 2-1. With only a few minutes remaining the game was almost entirely in the Briars D.
In true dramatic fashion (GoT writers take note) Sydney was awarded another short corner in the dying moments of the game. Everyone rushed up around the circle for this one last ditch effort. A swift ball from Harriet would spring out to be received by Kate Barrow who, as ever, got the shot away. However, what is a modern drama without a plot twist? Some say it was a miss hit, some people say that it’s easy to get a stick and leg mixed? Maybe it hit one and not the other? Some blame the malevolent hockey gods, sadly the game would end and the score would remain the same. The mighty would fall from grace and first place was no longer in the hands of Sydney Uni.
Any feelings of loss were quickly replaced with feelings of pride for a well-played game and sights set on the following week. Regardless of the results, 9th grade played with a tenacity that has been consistent this season. Carmen Dihn continued her massive effort of arriving on time and playing her heart out on the field and received a well-deserved MVP vote for the second game in a row. Going forward I believe this team will move mountains this season and will be ready when the rematch with Briars comes around. Also, a big thank you to Rowena, Kate and Phoebe for doubling this week.
– Princess
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