A BRILLIANTLY placed Ally Thurn shot from a penalty corner play - that was what proved the difference for Orange CYMS as they posted a 3-2 Central West Premier League Hockey win over Bathurst City on Saturday.
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Having come back from a two-goal deficit to lock things up at 2-all at the Cooke Hockey Complex, Bathurst City had the momentum.
But with just under 12 minutes remaining Thurn's effort ensured CYMS made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
"They kept trying to go to the seven and they slotted it really nice in the gap between me and Maddy [Tattersall, goalkeeper]. I was like 'If I was just that one step over'. But it was was a very nice goal," Bathurst City skipper Erin Cobcroft conceded.
For CYMS coach Pete Shea, Thurn's late strike was an indicator of how his side is on the improve. Though still sitting outside the top four, the defending champions are starting to click.
"That third quarter, they [Bathurst City] dominated, they were really good, they played a style of hockey that we didn't cope with very well. But lucky three-quarter-time came along, we had a bit of a think and we controlled the last quarter a little bit better," Shea said.
"Again that's the sign of a pretty decent team that we can implement things in a game of hockey and change the course of the game. They had the momentum and could've gone on, but we changed that.
"When we played them in the first round the game was slow and no-one really took control of the game, but that was a much better game today. They've improved and we've improved."
CYMS struck the first blow of the Indigenous round clash in the opening quarter, Taylah Hobbs finding the mark from a penalty corner play with just under two minutes of the game gone.
When Madie Smith added a second for CYMS five seconds into the second period, the Orange outfit was further buoyed.
But Bathurst City, who upset St Pat's the previous week, weren't about to surrender. The hosts made adjustments and came out hard in the second half.
Ruby Thompson found the mark six minutes after play resumed and when that was followed up with a successful shot from Kelsey Webb, City was back on level terms at 2-all.
With Taylor Grabham producing her best hockey of the season thus far to both shut down CYMS attack playing plays and spark City raids, the scene was set for a thrilling finish.
While it was CYMS who found the winner, Cobcroft was proud of the way her side pressured until the final whistle.
"It was a huge effort, it was very exciting when we got our first goal and then we got the second one within five minutes," the captain said.
"So it was pretty big, it was very exhilarating to get those two and have that comeback, but unfortunately their short just got us at the end.
"Hannah [Nunn] actually said to me that it almost makes it worse to lose when it was that close and it totally does, because it was so close.
"Even right at the end, we had a short corner right on the buzzer, and we had a few close chances. But their defence was really good."
ORANGE CYMS 3 (Taylah Hobbs, Madie Smith, Ally Thurn) defeated BATHURST CITY 2 (Ruby Thompson, Kelsey Webb)
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