FOR the second consecutive year, the Bathurst Women’s Hockey Association first grade preliminary final needed extra-time to determine a winner and for the second year in a row, it was Souths who advanced at the expense of Kelso with a 5-4 win.

Playing at the Cooke Hockey Complex on Sunday, minor premiers Kelso looked like joining St Pat’s in this year’s grand final as they led 4-3 inside the final 90 seconds of the match.

But Souths scored with 80 seconds left on the clock to force golden goal extra-time before Haylea Rogers slotted home the match winner 45 seconds into the additional period.

“That’s my first goal all season,” Rogers said. “We were coming third on the ladder and to beat them today when we normally lose to them, it feels really good.

“We have come along well in the last few games, so we had momentum going and we just tried to keep it up. We had a lot of people come to watch us which helps as well, it was a really good atmosphere.

“I didn’t play in last year’s grand final, this is my first time playing with Souths, so I am pretty stoked.”

In the 2013 preliminary final, Souths and Kelso finished deadlocked at 4-all after regulation time while 20 minutes of golden goal extra-time failed to produce a match winner.

As the two blues had finished higher in the minor premiership, they advanced to the grand final.

However, this time around given Kelso finished the regular season in first place, Souths knew they needed a win to survive and played accordingly.

Kelso’s tactic of playing regular centre half Tanya Lowe on the right wing paid off almost immediately as she scored three minutes in, putting away a nice Anna Cartwright pass.

Lowe continued to prove a threat and probably should have had another goal 15 minutes in, but opted to try and find Emma Oxley instead. Her pass was a fraction too far in front of the young talent to find a finishing touch.

Souths defender Caitlyn Hadley, who did not finish the game due to a suspected broken thumb, made a brilliant trap on the line to deny a Casey Bayliss penalty corner strike while goalkeeper Bree Mair blocked a Lowe attempt from the set play shortly after.

Finally Kelso found a second goal five minutes out from the break when a Bayliss shot struck the foot of a Souths defender and went into the net.

However, Souths landed a counter blow before half-time as Ali Stanford scored to make it 2-1.

Five minutes after the resumption of play Souths were back on level terms as Nikki Tomlinson deflected a powerful Stanford strike into the net.

The drama continued as a strong Oxley run earned Kelso a penalty stroke which Andrea Seymour converted before Tomlinson bagged her second to equalise at 3-all.

When Bayliss blasted a shot into the top right corner of the goal with just over seven minutes left Kelso looked destined to make the grand final. But Souths kept coming.

As the clock ticked down a brilliant long pass from Cassandra Burgess picked out an unmarked Madison Boyce in the circle and her reverse stick effort found the mark to make it 4-all.

Souths then survived a Kelso penalty corner after the siren to head into the golden goal period brimming with confidence. They attacked straight away and Rogers was in the right place when the ball was fed to the left of the circle.

Her first goal of the season put Souths into this Saturday’s decider against defending premiers St Pat’s.

SOUTHS 5 (Nikki Tomlinson 2, Ali Stanford, Madison Boyce, Haylea Rogers) defeated KELSO 4 (Casey Bayliss 2, Tanya Lowe, Andrea Seymour)