VU-Western Lightning staved off a late challenge from Monash University Central to claim a narrow 40-39 victory in the Victorian Netball League championship minor semi-final at the State Netball and Hockey Centre on Wednesday night.
The Lightning fluffed a chance to take a seven-goal lead late in the third quarter and Central made them pay by reeling off five unanswered goals to make it a tighter-than-expected finish.
PICTURE GALLERY: VU-Western Lightning v Monash University Central
“We really probably should’ve had the game won at three-quarter time,” Lightning coach Matt Hills told the Weekly.
“We had a six-goal lead and had a chance to score to go seven up before the break, but we missed that shot and allowed them to score the last two goals of the third quarter and the first three of the last and it was game on again.”
The Lightning held on to book a preliminary final date with top-ranked finalist Peninsula Waves.
The thrilling end was not out of the norm for a Lightning-Central affair with the teams having battled out a draw and three one-goal games over the past three years.
Despite the Lightning’s third place ranking and Central qualifying in fourth, question marks lingered over the Lightning heading into the finals, particularly after losing to Central heavily in the last home-and-away game.
Hills and his coaching crew got to work in the lead-up to rescue the Lightning from its floundering form in the latter stages of the regular season.
“We had to go away and do a lot of work, and do some plans to change that result and we were able to do that,” Hills said.
“Specifically, we wanted to change how we move the ball in the front end and open up play to move the ball forward, instead of moving it sideways.
“You take the last quarter out of it; we scored quite well till three-quarter time and certainly were able to play to those instructions and put those patterns in place in play.”
The Lightning goalers, Megan Fitzpatrick and Erin McCarthy, were an unshakable combination.
Fitzpatrick landed 26 of 33 to put her hand up for the game’s MVP, while McCarthy hit 14 of 18.
When the Lightning score 40 goals or more this season, they are 10-1.
