ST Pat’s turned up to their women’s Premier League Hockey match against Confederates determined to complete an important checklist of improvements.
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They ticked every box.
A superb defensive effort and a pair of well-executed team goals saw the Saints take a 2-0 win over Feds and leapfrog their Orange opponents into third spot on the ladder.
After leaking goals over their past two matches a rejuvenated Pat’s defence stepped up their game and limited the visitors’ scoring chances at Cooke Hockey Complex.
“It was a really positive performance. We prepared really well throughout the week. We didn’t really change much, we just worked on those one percent things,” Pat’s coach Jaden Ekert said.
“We’d let nine goals in over the past two games coming into this one. Defensively we haven’t been there. To come off two games like that and keep Feds scoreless shows how much hard work the girls have put in over the week.
To come off two games like that and keep Feds scoreless shows how much hard work the girls have put in over the week.
- Jaden Ekert
“Kirralee Naylor and Jodi Webb were fantastic for us. Their communication out there was great and they controlled the game really well.”
Saints weren’t short on chances in the opening half as shots from both Kristy Ekert and Julie Hanman found the crossbar and sidebar respectively.
Pat’s kept applying the pressure and they broke the deadlock with 10 minutes to go before the break.
The hosts brought the ball out of their defensive end and Hanman was on hand to finish off a sublime piece of team play.
The advantage was doubled around 15 minutes after the break when Amy Glenn’s strike completed a nice string of passes from Pat’s.
Victory was crucial for Pat’s, keeping them within six points of the second-placed Lithgow Panthers.
It was the perfect way for Pat’s to bounce back from a 4-0 loss to Parkes United in the previous round, and a 5-1 defeat against Panthers the previous week.
“We had a couple of early chances but to the girls’ credit they didn’t let the missed shots get to them,” Ekert said.
“We were in a bit of a rut. We’d had players out in our last two games but we’re not making any excuses. I said to the girls it’s important that no matter who is out there every needs to be held accountable.
“That keeps us in the hunt for a top two spot, and that’s been our aim since the start of this year.”
