THEY may have conceded their first goal of the season, but Bathurst City’s strong start to the 2014 women’s Premier League Hockey competition continued on Saturday as they downed Confederates 6-1.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In posting the comfortable win at the Cooke Hockey Complex, City made it five consecutive victories to start their campaign and kept them as the only team to have earned maximum points in each of their games so far.
While not the most polished of performances - the hosts scoring just once from 12 penalty corner chances - solid defence and precise balls into the circle paved the way for another City win.
Goals to Jess Hotham, Casey Bayliss and Ivy Moore scored in the opening half gave City a 3-nil lead at the break.
Seven minutes after play resumed Confederates earned their only penalty corner of the game and they made good use of it with Annette Pakinga putting it away.
However, Confederates’ joy was short lived as just two minutes later Hotham was fed a perfect pass from Kelsey Willott to get her second of the match.
Moore also made it a brace when she slotted a shot home from close range before City made good use of their 12th penalty corner of the match, Willott poking one through in a scrappy contest in front of goal five minutes from full-time.
Confederates coach Mark Pengilly looked beyond the scoreboard and thought his side had made a big improvement in their commitment to seeing out the full 70 minutes.
“I thought the girls played really well today. They showed really good intensity, that’s what we wanted to work on this week. It’s about making sure that those passes stick and the traps stick to take the pressure off themselves,” he said.
“How they wanted to play today, I couldn’t fault it. I’m not taking anything away from Bathurst City, they’re a good side, you give them the opportunity to score and they’ll put it away and that’s what they did today.
“Usually we’ve started off slow and come out better in the second half, but they stayed consistent through the whole game today. But that Bathurst City, they’re pretty bloody good.”
City co-coach Jill Long believes her side is still working its way slowly but surely towards their best hockey.
“We played at 30 per cent last week and we probably played at 50 per cent this week, but I’d rather keep going slowly like this than peak early then have problems,” she said. “I thought our defenders did well, they only let one in. I thought Confederates did well. They had a draw with Pat’s, so they aren’t to be written off.”
BATHURST CITY 6 (Jess Hotham 2, Ivy Moore 2, Casey Bayliss, Kelsey Willott) def ORANGE CONFEDERATES 1 (Annette Pakinga)
