Under-13 Tiger Charlee Lambden safely traps the ball with an SCC opponent bearing down on her in her debut game. Photos: Lee Manning.
Benalla’s junior teams had a great weekend in the second round of the Goulburn Valley Hockey Association competition, with some fantastic goals scored as both sides claimed big wins.
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Under 13s vs SCC
Benalla’s under-13 side delivered a strong performance against SCC, coming away with a 6-2 win in a well-played and competitive game.
Captain Rachel held the forward line together and worked seamlessly with William, who scored three goals and drove the team forward with energy and determination.
Charlee made an outstanding debut after starting in Hook In2 Hockey in Term 1, confidently linking play between Finn and Madeleine on the wing and stepping into the game like a natural.
Sophie ran hard with many intercepts, with a fantastic pass across the circle to Madeleine for a sneaky goal in next to the post.
Goalie Hayden made four important saves, while Finn led from fullback with composed tackles and smart passes into attack.
Phoenix backed this up with great positioning, halting many forward plays.
A fantastic team effort all around, with Charlee’s breakout first game setting the tone for an exciting season ahead.
Goals: William 3, Sophie 2, Madeleine Wright 1.
Umpire best and fairest votes: 3 - Sophie Littler, 2 - William Keen; 1 - Phoenix Erickson.
Under 16s vs Echuca
Indi Turner sweeps through to defend against Echuca’s Stella, with Kobe and Cooper in support.
The under-16 Tigers conceded an early goal to Echuca, but then ramped up the intensity as they soared to an enjoyable 6-2 win.
Benalla’s forwards worked together to break through many times for some good goals, but the biggest success came from fast runs along the left wing, strong passes from captain and full-back Alida, to half-back Jack to Ineke and Lucas who bypassed defenders to score past the goalie.
The second half held more action for goalie Annie, with full back Indi pushing high to meet attackers, assisted by half-back Cooper.
Rory was an amazing centre-half, stealing many balls at the circle, sending them up to forwards Kobe, Angus and Xavier, who broke through Echuca’s defence to jointly score three goals.
Umpire best and fairest votes: 3 - Lucas, 2 - Ineke Walsh; 1 - Brodie Rawlings.
Women’s SYC vs Strikers
Strikers set the pace, scoring in the first two minutes. Their strategic and relentless attack pushed SYC’s defence hard, with Lee making a great save on the post, and Amber clearing many turnovers in the circle to hold Strikers to just two goals in the 2-0 defeat.
