LIMESTONE Coast Hockey Association heated up when Round 2 of the season kicked off over the weekend.
West’s Division 1 women’s side looks to be a true contender for the premiership once again with a convincing victory over Redbacks.
Division 1 Women: West 9 d Redbacks 0
WEST managed a huge win over Redbacks when they faced off in remarkably calm conditions on the weekend.
West stamped its authority on the contest from the opening whistle, with a constant barrage of pressure applied to the Redbacks defensive unit.
The flood gates opened early, with Ashleigh Dunn, Charlotte Foote and Gemma Ballintyne all scoring in the first half, which seemed somewhat of a supporting effort compared to the first-half hat-trick scored by Georgia Clarke.
Although not impacting the scoreboard, CJ Lewis and Michelle Clarke were continually feeding the ball to the forwards to produce the 6-0 half-time lead.
Redbacks settled into its defence in the second half, with Lauren Mancer and Laura Edmonds leading from the front to nullify the the West attack and force the ball forwards to create goal-scoring opportunities of their own.
However, the well-rested West defence held them out and with Ballintyne, Lewis and Chloe McKenzie able capitalise on goal opportunities of their own, West ran out comfortable 9-0 victors.
Best players for West were Clarke and Ballintyne, while Mancer and Edmonds were given the nod for Redbacks.
Goals came from Clarke (3), Ballintyne (2), Lewis, Dunn, McKenzie and Foote.
Division 2 Women: Naracoorte 2 d Redbacks 1
WINTERY weather welcomed Naracoorte and Redbacks to their Round 2 encounter and both were keen to turn things around after they tasted defeat in Round 1.
An even match kicked off with Redbacks defence making it hard for Naracoorte to find any shots on goal.
Naracoorte worked the ball up field and its continued efforts paid off, with Angela McLean feeding the ball into the gap giving Sile Legoe a clear shot on goal for a slim 1-0 lead at the break.
Redbacks fought hard in the second half, using the field to its full advantage.
Jade Delaney controlled the centre, fighting through Naracoorte’s defence, giving Redbacks plenty of opportunity in attack.
A well-constructed passage of play between Maddi Derrington and Celia Scott resulted in a sneaky second goal for Naracoorte, put away by Cathy Loder.
The game ended with a penalty stroke between Naracoorte goalie Chelsea Meulders and Redbacks Angela Kain that was converted and provided Redbacks with an opportunity of redemption with one and a half minutes left on the clock.
However, time was not on their side, with Naracoorte holding on to secure the 2-1 victory.
Best for Naracoorte were Shannon Derrington, Samantha Bunnik and Loder, with Donna Cramwell, Emily Tully and Kain were best for Redbacks.
Goals came from Naracoorte’s Legoe and Loder, with Redbacks Kain the sole scorer for her side.
West 2 d Riddoch Strikers 1
RIDDOCH Strikers recorded an impressive victory, but faced a tougher challenge when they came up against last years grand finalists.
The majority of the game played out in the midfield, with neither side able to push deep into attack.
It was always going to be a game of opportunity and it was West which grabbed it first when Leanne Ballintyne scored for the lead.
The second half played out in similar fashion, with each defensive unit again holding firm.
Jen Peterson worked hard at centre-half for West, but Kimberley Henningson was her equal, with the pair nullifying each other’s influence on the game.
Maddi Mutch had an outstanding game for West at the right inner position and provided much of the side’s drive.
West was again first to capitalise on its chances after the break, with Nina Paton scoring from the back stick side to extend the West lead.
Strikers continue to play with early-season confidence and with a few minutes remaining were able to claw one back with a goal from Celia Baseley.
The final few minutes saw further chances for both teams, but neither were able to score, leaving West with a satisfying victory.
Best for West were Mutch, Fiona Emerson and Stephanie Ward, with Rebel Skirving, Tara Henningson and Debra Hinze best for Riddoch Strikers.
Goals came from West’s Ballintyne and Paton, with Riddoch Strikers’ Celia Baseley the only scorer for her side.
Divison 3 Men: Redbacks 3 d Cavaliers 1
REDBACKS and Cavaliers put on a fine display of Division 3 hockey on Saturday evening.
Redbacks fielded an understrength side, but with players of the quality of Rod Sparks and John Snell leading the charge, it was always going to be tough for Cavaliers.
Throughout the first half Redbacks worked the ball around the field looking for weaknesses in the Cavaliers defence.
They would have held a more comfortable lead if it was not for the quality goal keeping of Mitchell Weedon.
As it was they still went into the break with confidence after seeing Bruce Maddern score two goals, the last of which came from a penalty corner after the whistle.
The second half was much closer, with Cavaliers solidifying their defence and creating more forward pressure.
Time and again though they came up against Sparks and he was able to repel them.
Each team did manage to score in the second half, with Jeremy Aston adding one for Redbacks, but the Cavaliers goal from Rick Kleinig was too little, too late.
Best for Redbacks were Nash Lobley, Cameron Curtis and Albert Buwalda, while best for Cavaliers were Mitchell Weedon, Ben Weedon and Shaun Fabian.
Goals for Redbacks came from Maddern (2) and Jeremy Aston (1), with Rick Kleinig Cavaliers sole scorer.
