Altona Hockey Club’s Mens Premier League Side remains undefeated, recording their fifth straight win, against another undefeated team, Greensborough, at Ballarat on Saturday. In veteran defender, Mathew Higgins’ 300th Premier League match, Altona and Greensborough went goal for goal all day, until the Seagulls took the lead with minutes to play, in a memorable victory. Earlier, the Womens Premier League side beat Greensborough, the reigning premiers, in another last minute decider, to make the decision to take hockey to the country a good one!
A big crowd made the journey to Ballarat from Altona, with the Blue and Gold Army out in force. The hockey clinic, held between the two Premier League matches, was a huge success, and Club Chairman David Burns even had some local television coverage!
Altona got off to a flyer, with Pat Phillips dominating up front with his pace, slotting a rebound goal after working the ball into the scoring circle from a long corner. Greensborough equalised minutes later, coverting a penalty corner with a searing flick into the top of the net that even in-form keeper, Tom Pinnegar, couldn’t save. Greensborough took the lead in the next five minutes, with a perfectly executed deflection from a penalty corner. Just before half time, Altona equalised, with Phillips again lightning with his reflexes, scoring another rebound goal off the ‘keepers’ pads.
After the break, Altona took the lead 3-2, with Australian Futures star, Andrew Scanlon, shotting a tomahawk goal after his original drag flick was saved on a penalty corner. With ten minutes to go, one of Greensborough’s many Victorian players, Heath Simpson, slotted a goal, in the bottom right of the net, to equalise 3-3. On a fast break, Phillips earned a penalty corner, with only a few minutes on the clock. Scanlon again turned to his backstick, this time crossing to Josh Horton who slotted the winner into the bottom corner.
It was a tough match, with Higgins suffering gasto on the morning of his milestone game, and midfielder Chris Porter injured and unable to complete the match. Phillips has had a stellar year, and Saturday saw a continuation of that form. His pace with and without the ball is troubling opposition defences, and his two goals on Saturday were a demonstration of his relentless attack on the ball. Pinnegar was awesome in net, once again, and made countless saves against a side that has featured in every Premier League finals for over a decade. Scanlon, who represented Australia earlier this year in an Under 21 squad, and is a member of the AIS Futures Squad, has taken his game to a new level in 2014.
Coach Ben Guy was ecstatic after the win: “The respect we have for Mathew Higgins is enormous, so to honour him with a win is fantastic. More importantly from a team perspective, this was a very big test today, and we passed. We are on track with our goals, year to date, and we are looking forward to challenging others in this competition as the season progresses.”
Altona 4 defeated Greensborough 3
Goals: Patrick Phillips 2, Andrew Scanlon 2
Earlier in the day, Altona defeated reigning premiers Greensborough, in another last minute decider. Altona recorded its third win in what is a developmental year, with debutant high school student Sarah Haslam showing how young the Seagulls are.
Altona got off to a flyer, with Missy Johnson scoring a rebound goal off the ‘keepers’ pads, following a save on a penalty corner. Greensborough equalised soon after, with a powerful penalty corner strike alluding the Altona defence. Forward Kelsey Fox wrestled the lead back for the A Girls, with a goal from a messy goal mouth scramble after a penalty corner broke down, but unfortunately Greensborough equalised to head into the break, converting a penalty corner after the whistle, right on half time.
Greensborough stepped up the intensity in the second half, with Altona’s defence withstanding a lot of pressure. Full back Mairaed Crawford and goal keeper Taylah Brennan were brilliant. Even when Altona was down to 10 players, after Anisha Kidd received a yellow card, the defence stood strong. Centre Half Bronte Kerley, who recently made the Victorian U/21 womens team, was dominant.
In the final minute of the game, Altona had the ball in their attacking 25 yards. Fox worked a free hit outside the circle, she then ran a set play, firing the ball to Kerley, who then crossed the ball into the circle. Veteran striker, Steph Sarantis, calmly one-timed the ball into net, to take the lead 3-2, with only seconds on the clock.
Coach Greg Drake was pumped after the win “The girls stuck to the game plan and were brilliant throughout the match. Our defence was rock solid, and we took our chances which was the difference today compared to earlier matches this season. We are a young side, so a win against an experienced, successful side like Greensborough, is great for our confidence and proves to the squad that they are able to match it and beat anyone in this competition.”
Altona 3 defeated Greensborough 2
Goals: Missy Johnson 1, Kelsey Fox 1, Steph Sarantis 1