Round 4 for Monash saw some teams prove their positions within their leagues and allowed others to see what improvements need to be made. The Women’s Vic League teams both battled it out with a club who have just come down from Premier League. The men showed their skills in the Vic League 2 division, coming away with two wins.
The Vic League 2 Men expected a battle against the previously undefeated Knox side, and that’s exactly what they got. Just one goal was scored before half time, with Jimmy Morrow converting from a penalty corner. As play resumed both sides had chances to score, but a strong defensive performance meant our Monash 1s managed to hold on to their 1-0 lead until the end.
The mens reserves also had a tough battle, finding themselves 1-0 down at the half time break. In the second half, spurred on by standouts Ash Pandey and Justin Boutchard, the farmers drew level after a penalty corner flick from Marty Fielke. A deflection goal from Ned Dann put the team in front, and another strong team performance meant Monash came out on top.
The Vic League 1 Women’s side came out firing in their game against Powerhouse/St Kilda. Prepared for a tough match, the Monash girls faced a strong team who played in the premier league division last year. The 1s used their skills and excellent team work to show the opponents what they were made of. Determination payed off and the girls went into the second half 1-0 up after some lovely team play saw Tayla Hubbard set up Mikaela Day to pop one in the net. Throughout the game flashes of pink were shown by the girls, who were supporting Hockey Victoria’s Women in Sport. Goal keeper Therese McArther took home the Most Valuble Player medallion, selected by the umpires. Unfortunately the girls couldn’t hold onto their lead and the end result was Powerhouse 2 and Monash 1.
Our reserves girls also knew it would be a tough match, as Powerhouse had been thumping most teams in the competition. The 2s came out fighting and held their own. Much to their frustration, Powerhouse/St Kilda made many fruitless attempts to penetrate the circle and were held out of the goal by a cohesive defence and great work in the goals by Emily Wilkinson. Eventually a goal was scored against Monash and we went into halftime 1-0 down. Monash continued to move the ball around the field well and equalised with a successful penalty corner goal slotted in by Val Bell, after a deflection from a straight shot. A successful penalty corner near full time saw Powerhouse take the points.
The Mens 3’s had a tough loss to MUHC with the final score at 7-1. Again the men showed that they could play well in patches but an inability to play good hockey for 70 minutes. Going forward they again looked good on numerous occasions, however, they need to work on their aggression and determination in their attacking and defensive 25 yards. The highlight was clearly Killer’s run into goals and unselfish layoff to Kennan, who followed Chubbs from Happy Gilmore’s instructions of “just tap it in”. Great to see players who have stepped up from last years 4s like Kennan, B-Rad and Paul playing some really great hockey.
Monash’s 4s had an unfortunate 8-0 loss to Camberwell. Up against a strong team, the opposition had a big head start after Monash struggled to play our best hockey in the first half. Dan Griming played brilliantly in goals to ensure it didn’t turn unto a cricket score. The second half saw a much improved performance, with Oscar Garrington, Dom Barr (whose late arrival after a car break down was much needed), and George Coleby begin to get some control over the midfield. Numbers continue to be brilliant at training and I’m sure this will lead to even greater improvement.
Stern words and an inspiring display from the women’s Vic League squads saw the Monash Women’s 3rd XI gain a valuable point from league leaders Knox. A nil-all draw is rarely something to write home about, but the result speaks volumes for a squad that is still finding its feet in 2015. With Knox yet to concede a goal this season, the Fighting Tambourine’s defence held firm for 70 minutes and provided a solid base for a number of scintillating counter-attacks down both wings. Overall, the game was played at a pace and tempo much higher than the grade, with some great switching plays, defensive presses and circle penetrations from both teams. Round 5 sees the Fighting Tambourines at home again to Powerhouse/St Kilda this Sunday.
The legion of boom made the trek to Berwick for a face off against Cassy in a classic Mother’s Day clash. The vast improvement of this developing team was shown as they scored early in the first half and did not lose any steam with a 6-1 win! With the teams first win of the season, a high will continue to push them through the season.
And in our wonderful masters, the women saw a mixed result this week. Both games were hard and they faced teams who were higher on the ladder.
The Masters Womens A Grade drew 2-2 with Footscray. This was a hard fought game against a strong team that was used to playing with each other, therefore displaying lots of set moves and great teamwork. Despite this, some rusty passing and an average age of about 10 years older, we were strong in defense and had plenty of chances in attack. Brooke Bishop slotted the first goal in off some great passing in attack. They scored just before half time and started the second half by putting in a penalty corner. We kept the pressure on and Lisa Ryan forced the draw with a great field goal.
Over to the Womens Masters B grade, Camberwell took the win with a final score of 2-0. The first half was very evenly matched with Monash playing a strong defensive game but still having a couple of forward breakaway attacks. We maintained the pressure well into the second half, continuing to play well in defense but eventually we succumbed to their relentless attack and they scored 2 quick goals. Overall it was a great game with lots of great teamwork, passing, talking and we were just beaten by an extremely strong Camberwell team.
The Mens Masters saw Monash lose 5-0 to Geelong in the BNW division and in the BSE division Hawthorn had a close match against our men, but managed to take the lead wining 2-1.