Orbost Hockey Club was back in action for round five of the East Gippsland Hockey Association (EGHA) season when it visited Bairnsdale to take on the Mitchell River Hockey Club at the WORLD facility in an afternoon/twilight fixture last Saturday.
Once again it was the Green and Gold’s youngest teams who starred, with three of the teams recording stirring victories over a tough opponent on foreign soil.
The under 10 team began the day’s proceedings, and in a tense first half both Dallas Redman and Sadie Lindfield saw plenty of the ball in the midfield and with Frida Songailo in support, were determined participants in many contests.
Sisters Keira and Demi Murray both threaded clever passes forward onto the stick of Lara Kenny who twice fired wide of goal and despite some strong Green and Gold defending, it was the hosts who went into the break with a single score lead.
Joe Millward bullied his way forward early in the second term and found the back of the cage after an impressive run and shoot.
After pouncing on a loose ball just after the restart, the same player threaded the ball home from a narrow angle to give Orbost the lead.
With Songailo also full of attacking drive, the chances kept coming for the visitors, with their deserved third and game-sealing goal coming from the stick of Joe Millward when he fired home successfully through a sea of defensive legs.
Orbost impressive 3-1 winners.
The under 12 fixture was also a tight affair, one in which both sets of youngsters moved the ball well on the artificial turf, only to be met with some impressive defensive stick work.
For Orbost the combination of Geoffrey Florance and Cohen Mathews were full of creativity and dash, with the strong rebound work of Savannah Lindfield and the attacking enterprise of Asha Farley also playing important roles in the visitors’ best forays up front.
At the other end of the ground, new goalie Jaxon Murray made a couple of bold saves for the Green and Gold, while Darius Mathews and Belle Healey each made crucial open-field tackles to keep their opponents at bay.
As the clock ticked down in the second half, Joe Millward was firstly denied on the goal line and then saw his shot from the subsequent corner sail wide of the post, as a scoreless draw seemed the likely outcome.
But when Orbost won another corner in the dying seconds, Joe Millward seized the opportunity to pounce, beating the keeper with his last-gasp game-winning shot, giving his side a 1-0 victory.
The under 14 match-up turned into a real thriller with eight goals scored in a game that could have gone either way.
Mitchell River may have escaped with the win and the competition points, but there was plenty to be proud of from an Orbost perspective, particularly the defensive clearance work of Cohen Mathews, the crucial interventions on the backline by Kitty Millward and the bravery of Jaxon Murray in goal who was making his debut in the higher age grade.
Jasper Anderson’s powerful striking created problems throughout for the hosts’ defence and brought him a well-deserved hat-trick of goals, the highlight of which was a clever dribble and delicate finish that completely wrong-footed the goalie.
He was well-supported up front by Keira Irvine, Lara Kenny and Joe Millward, all of whom had chances to score in a frantic fourth quarter when the Green and Gold were chasing an equalising goal.
Unfortunately, on this occasion it was not to be as a combination of the keeper’s pads and the goalpost kept them from adding to the scoresheet when they needed it most.
Mitchell River 5-3 victors in the most entertaining encounter of the day.
Orbost’s under 16 side also took part in an eight-goal encounter, with their hard-running and dynamic teamwork ensuring they never trailed after Jasper Anderson broke through the defence early and blasted home the opening goal.
In quick succession in the first half all of Chloe Findley, Campbell Edlington and Alex Kenny went close to doubling their team’s lead, as did debutant Hugh Scott with a deft chance on the post.
With the ball frequently locked into attack by Orbost, siblings Jasper and Aster Anderson both scored either side of the main break when they pounced on loose balls, while fellow siblings Leni and Kitty Millward combined to stop a dangerous breakaway from the hosts.
At 3-2 up, the visitors were in control but not yet comfortable in the contest, but ultimately their determination to break through a well-organised Mitchell River backline paid off with a trio of late goals.
Including a neat finish from Aster Anderson, a back post conversion from the perfectly-placed Keira Irvine, and a clean strike from distance from Mitch Farley.
Orbost impressive in victory, 6-2.
With the under 18 fixture not taking place due to a player shortage, the final game of the evening saw Orbost’s women in action.
In a match that was far closer than the final scoreline suggested, goalie Alana Farley pulled off a string of sharp saves at one end, while Maddie Fecondo was a thorn in the side of the home defence at the other.
Defenders Lisa Murray and Sarah McDonald were both called upon to aerially swat goal-bound balls away to safety, while the trio of Aster Anderson, Sophie Luchetta and Alena Walmsley all provided attacking impetus through the middle of the ground.
Ultimately Mitchell River’s clinical shooting from distance trumped a quartet of near misses from the Green and Gold, allowing the hosts to pull away for an easy 8-0 victory.
Orbost will be back in action on Saturday when it travels to the Gippsland Regional Sporting Complex facility in Sale to take on Wellington.
