KINROSS-CYMS skipper Madie Smith was left to lament what could have been after being forced into a 1-all draw in the women’s Premier League Hockey clash with Bathurst City on Saturday.
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Played at Orange Hockey Centre, Bathurst City scored in the dying stages of the match to share the points with the hosts.
After failing to capitalise on several early chances Chloe Barrett opened the scoring for the hosts in the 17th minute, slamming home a powerful shot after finding space in the circle.
Kinross-CYMS continued to create opportunities, but were unable to convert as the score remained unchanged until the half-time break.
The opening exchanges of the second period played out in much the same way, with space continually opening up through the middle of the field for the hosts.
Smith and Barrett ran rampant in the midfield, but despite a plethora of possession the hosts were unable to extend their lead.
A lack of personnel - Kinross-CYMS had just two substitutes - began to play a telling role for the Orange side in the final 20 minutes as Bathurst City began to exploit the hosts’ fatigue.
Several counter attacking chances later and the visitors had regained control, earning a short corner with just six minutes remaining.
Bathurst City skipper Jess Hotham’s resulting shot took a deflection from Smith’s stick, finding the bottom right corner of the net to equalise.
Defence fell by the wayside in the dying stages, with both sides relying on all out attack to secure the win, ultimately sharing the competition points.
“It was frustrating to concede so late in the game, especially knowing it came off my stick,” Smith said.
“Our fitness gave way in those last 10 or 15 minutes, and we got scrappy and desperate. Still, we played reasonably well.
“We could have let them play all over us but we stepped up, and did pretty well considering we were short on players.”
Bathurst City coach Scott Anderson was less than impressed with his troops, labelling the performance “ordinary”.
“It wasn’t the performance we wanted,” he said.
“We’re very hot and cold, and our physical fitness isn’t great. Still, a draw is always better than a loss. Kinross-CYMS played better than us and I think they deserved to win, and probably by two or three goals.
“It’s a credit to our defence in the second half, but we were lucky to get away with the draw.”
KINROSS-CYMS 1 (Chloe Barrett) drew with BATHURST CITY 1 (Jess Hotham).
