Victoria won both men’s and women’s Australian Hockey League titles for the first time in the state’s history with two dramatic shootout victories over Queensland in the gold medal matches at Perth Hockey Stadium on Sunday.
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Orange’s Meredith Bone skippered her ACT Strikers side in the absence of Hockeyroos gun, and sister, Edwina Bone, who was named captain of the Canberra-based side before a knee injury ruled her out of the competition.
The Strikers finished with two draws and two losses in its pool games, but finished the tournament strongly with wins over Tasmania (1-0), South Australia (3-0) and then India (2-0) in the consolation fixtures.
The late flurry of wins proved what the ACT girls were capable of, but a slow start ensured the Strikers failed to make an impact in the money games.
The Vipers secured the women’s title after a dramatic gold medal match where they triumphed 2-1 in a shootout over the Scorchers.
Georgia Nanscawen equalised with 14 seconds left to send the game to a shootout after a 2-2 draw.
“It’s something you dream about and when it happens I don’t even know what to say,” Nanscawen said.
The triumph is Victoria's first since 2012 and third overall in the women's division.
