A NEVER-say-die Altona has come back from a goal down with 15 minutes left on the clock to beat Camberwell and register its first win of the Hockey Victoria women’s state league 1 season.
A see-sawing battle took place at JK Grant Reserve on Saturday and it was a backs-to-the-wall Seagulls who fought until the final whistle to clinch a memorable win.
The victory was sealed with a goal from Phoebe Rothfield five minutes from time, her first in the big league.
“She was pretty pumped about it,” Seagulls coach Marc Richardson told the Weekly. “She was in the right position to score after a breakaway from our Canadian import Kate Gillis.
“The good thing is we kept fighting all the way through, compared to the first two games where we dropped our bundle a bit.
“This time we kept our heads up and were pretty positive about the whole thing.”
Their slow start might have something to do with the influx of new Seagulls.
“We lost about eight girls across the squad of 20 from last year with injury and school and that kind of stuff, so we’re going to have a reasonably young squad overall,” Richardson said. “It was good to get a bit of confidence. Camberwell have traditionally been a strong side, so it was good to get a win over them.”
As young and vibrant as the Seagulls are in 2012, it was one of the wiser, more experienced campaigners in co-captain Stephanie Sarantis who led the way. Sarantis scored a goal, and her on-field direction of the younger players was priceless in a pressure-cooker environment.
“She’s a great impact player,” Richardson said. “She plays in strong five-minute bursts. She’s also a good leader; she’s vocal and demands a bit more of the girls and tries to push them into the right spots.”
In a groundbreaking move, the Seagulls have introduced imports into the women’s section for the first time. Canadians Kate Gillis and Marion Dickinson have already made an impact in their short time at the club. “They’ve improved the training aspects. They take it very seriously and they’re really fit,” Richardson said.
Women’s state league 1: Altona 4 Camberwell 3, Mentone 3 Footscray 3
Men’s state league 1: Mentone 7 Footscray 2, Altona 2 Camberwell 1
