Xavier only has eyes for the ball as he closes in on a tackle during the under-16 clash. Photos: Winnie He.
All Benalla Hockey Club teams have continued to improve as the season rolls on, with an impressive win for the under-13s the highlight of the round eight Goulburn Valley Hockey Association action.
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Under 13s vs SYC
Charlee avoids an SYC opponent with a great run during the under-13s contest.
The under-13 Tigers outmanoeuvred SYC with some skilful tackling to win possession and accurate passing to keep momentum.
Goalie Finn produced a string of outstanding saves during defensive penalty corners, keeping the team calm and focused.
Phoenix was a rock in defence, making timely tackles and closely marking opponents to limit SYC’s attacking opportunities.
Captain Rachel led by example, covering the ground relentlessly to link the Tigers’ defence and attack then driving the ball forward to create scoring opportunities.
Madeleine ran hard, applying strong defensive pressure inside the circle then pushing forward to support Benalla's attacking play.
Charlee was influential down the wing, carrying the ball forward and applying constant pressure to the opposition with multiple tackles disrupting their attacking play.
The team effort shone through, with centre forward William intercepting passes and weaving through the defence numerous times to set up scoring opportunities, with strong hits into the circle to Sophie who positioned perfectly to score twice.
A final team goal came from a nifty push past the goalie by Hayden, after multiple passes and tackles around the circle by all Tigers players driving the ball back in, to delivered one of their strongest performances of the season with a 3-1 win.
Goals: Sophie Littler 2, Hayden Littler 1.
Umpire best and fairest votes: 3 - Phoenix Erickson, 2 - Hayden Littler, 1 - Sophie Littler.
Under 16s vs GVGS
Rory channels GVGS into Cael’s block-tackle, with Angus, Cooper and Annie as final defence for the under-16s.
The Benalla-SYC under-16s have settled in to the full-field format, with players in some new positions working well and holding opponents to much lower scores than earlier in the season.
The midfield pushed hard against GVGS, with multiple turnovers and some good free hits through walls of opponents, with Kobe and Angus making useful runs down the field into the circle.
Angus effectively halts GVGS with a strong tackle in the under-16s.
Wings Alida, Steele and Finn ran hard as the ball changed hands, with half-backs Cooper, Xavier and Rory sending balls forwards to them.
Goalie Annie made some critical saves, with multiple penalty corners and fast runs into the circle also thwarted by full backs Cael and Indi.
Captain Breanna, Liam and Ineke positioned well to tackle then make fast breaks, but GVGS out-ran and outplayed the Tigers to win 6-0.
Umpire best and fairest votes: 3 - Angus Hayes, 2 - Breanna Graham, 1 - Kobe Rawlings.
Women’s SYC vs Strikers
SYC Women had an even match, with more play in the circle than many weeks, but were unable to score against Strikers, who won 4-0.
Inner Jacinta created many turnovers and had some long runs down the field, with Heidi also winning lots of tackles against the skilful Strikers.
Amber’s strong block tackles were successful all game, while Lee channelled well as a half-back then positioned well on the wing.
