ALTONA honoured its first home-grown Hockeyroo in a Hockey
Victoria women’s premier league game on Saturday, recording its third
victory of the season against Toorak-East Malvern at Grant Reserve.
Danielle Schubach dominated in her 100th premier league match, and
showed why she is Victorian captain and has played on the international
stage.
Altona converted a penalty corner inside the first three minutes,
with Bronte Kerley deflecting a pass from Schubach into the back of the
net.
Unfortunately for the A’s, the lead was short lived. TEM tied the
scores after a defensive lapse of concentration on the home side’s part.
Scores were locked at 1-1 at half-time.
Both sides had periods of ascendancy in the second half, but neither were able to score.
Some unusual umpiring decisions at both ends saw confusion among
both teams. One decision benefited Altona, with Steph Sarantis smashing a
dangerous rebound into the net, while the TEM defenders had stopped,
assuming they were due a free hit.
TEM continued attacking, creating several opportunities.
Taylah Brennan was superb in goals for the A’s, and veteran full-back Carla Ruhe was solid in defence.
Nicola Brown and Jessica Brennan ran amok in the midfield and forward lines, with several shots at goal saved by the TEM keeper.
With five minutes to go, TEM equalised to make it 2-2.
But, with only two minutes on the clock, it was Schubach who stole
the ball, making a quick break for goals. She beat two defenders and
assisted Sarantis, who had slipped her defender with a smart lead, to
give Altona a 3-2 win.
“Earlier in the season, conceding a goal in the last five minutes
to surrender the lead, would have seen us drop our heads,” A’s coach
Marc Richardson said.
“I was so glad this didn’t happen today, and I am sure Dan’s 100th game was motivation for them to keep working hard.
“It’s been a tough year, but we’ve been able to give
premier-league experience to so many up-and-coming young women, so the
future looks bright.”
The A’s lost 2-1 to Waverley in the second game of the double header weekend, finishing second-last with three wins for the season.
Meanwhile, Footscray will remain in the top division next season after a solid fifth-placed finish.
The Bulldogs had a massive 6-1 win over Powerhouse on Saturday
with Olivia Colasurdo firing in a double, while on Sunday they played
out an entertaining 4-4 draw with Toorak-East Malvern after two goals to
Samantha Ellis.
