At the end of Saturday’s 6-3 victory over Orange Ex-Services, Bathurst Souths coach Ian North got out his measuring tape and made a bee-line for the goals.
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Convinced they have to be bigger than regulation size, the two blues mentor wasn’t upset, instead he was beaming – the floodgates finally opened for Souths.
After weeks of hitting the post in narrow losses, Ali Stanford scored a double while Sophie McCauley, Kirsten Fitzpatrick, Emma Siejka and Dannielle Fisher all scored goals to capatlise on a 2-1 lead at the break and record third win of the season, one that keeps Souths in touch with the women’s Premier League Hockey top four.
“This week, the damn post didn’t get in the way,” North said, his Souths side whacking the woodwork on several occasions during a tough three week period leading into Saturday’s three-goal road win in Orange.
“It’s down to millimetres out there in this competition. Every team is capable of winning.
“It was a tough game, on home turf the advantage is always with them, but we’ve been so close to putting those goals away and it finally happened this week.
“The difference is, we hit the post three times last week and three or four the week before, this week they went in … it’s the difference between winning and losing.”
Servies guns Rochelle Burcher and Tiffany Atkinson both hit home goals for the hosts, the former ending the game with a double.
But the 6-3 result is the blue and golds’ eight straight defeat, with the former PLH big guns now anchored to the bottom of the ladder.
- BATHURST SOUTHS 6 (Ali Stanford 2, Sophie McCauley, Kirsten Fitzpatrick, Emma Siejka, Dannielle Fisher) def Ex Services 3 (Rochelle Burcher 2, Tiffany Atkinson)