Orbost Hockey Club was back in action for round 12 of the East Gippsland Hockey Association (EGHA) season last Saturday when it took on Sale at the WORLD facility
in Bairnsdale.
Of the five junior matches played, four tense contests were decided by a single goal with the Green and Gold youngsters emerging with hard-earned victories in three of them.
The opening under 10 fixture was an entertaining and open match that saw both teams impress with their ball movement, with both defences under plenty of pressure throughout.
For Orbost Zoe Griebenow, Evie Crofts and Indi Gilmour made important attack-ending tackles at significant moments while Neave Songailo’s strong clearance and some outstanding last line defensive interventions by Dallas Redman and Alastair Songailo all helped to thwart all but one of Sale’s dangerous forward forays.
With Sadie Lindfield and Keira Murray working hard in the midfield and up front, the Green and Gold had plenty of attacking opportunities of their own, particularly when Demi Murray and Lara Kenny were
able to get the ball on their sticks and power forward with purpose.
It was fitting therefore that the contest’s two decisive goals came from each of these players as Orbost secured the win (2-1) in the second half, both combining the speed of a determined drive on goal with the strength to force the ball home on the second effort after the initial strike was saved.
Orbost’s under 12 team also completed a hard-fought win by a single goal in another absorbing contest, one where defenders Malky Morrison and Cohen Mathews showed plenty of pace and poise
to close down multiple Sale attacks and clear the ball to safety.
Geoffrey Florance’s ability to drive forward and weave past his opponents created numerous chances for the Green and Gold at the other end with Joe Millward working tirelessly inside the ‘D’ to generate scoring chances and pepper the goal with shots.
Belle Healey’s effort on the far post, Malky Morrison’s shot across the face of goal and a Cohen Mathews strike into the side cage all went close to opening the scoring.
The breakthrough finally came when Joe Millward confidently converted a Geoffrey Florance cross beyond the reach of the
goal keeper.
The final few minutes were nerve racking as Sale threw everything at the Green and Gold, but when Asha Farley perfectly positioned herself to sweep the ball clear to end a threatening attack, the well-deserved victory to Orbost (1-0) was confirmed.
Orbost’s under 14 team scored its ninth win (5-2) of a promising season, their victory turned out to be the day’s only contest decided by more than a single goal, but it was nevertheless a match which the chances kept coming at both ends and strong teamwork was required by the Green and Gold to prevail.
An early run and strike from Jasper Anderson put his team in front before both Peter Florance and Alex Kenny made important tackles to close out any Sale hopes of an immediate equaliser.
Some great attacking determination from Keira Irvine and Joe Millward delivered a perfectly-placed ball for Jasper Anderson to score his second, while it was a long pass from Alex Kenny to the same player that allowed him to blast home and complete yet another personal hat-trick.
After Lily Crofts saw her effort on the post desperately cleared, a clever Jasper Anderson dribble took Orbost’s tally to four before some great interplay between Joe Millward and Geoffrey Florance almost ended in a goal.
Sale were able to score a goal of their own in each half and were always dangerous on the counterattack, but as the contest wore on the pairing of Kitty Millward and Malky Morrison increasingly stamped their authority on midfield and were able to keep Orbost in the ascendancy with that man Jasper Anderson putting the exclamation point on the victory with a powerful strike from a corner.
The following under 16 encounter was the day’s real thriller with Sale’s eventual victory (3-2) ultimately coming down to two borderline calls on after-the-siren corners one at the end of the third quarter where an unexpected call of play on resulted in a Sale goal, followed by one at the end of the match when an unusual play-over decision cost Orbost the chance of a last-gasp equaliser.
The Green and Gold forwards found themselves in the thick of the action in the early stages with a double effort by Campbell Edlington and close-range shot by Keira Irvine both being cleared off the line, while in defence goalie Jack Scott made a trio of bold saves with his boots to keep things scoreless.
It took a reverse-stick shot from a corner by Mitch Farley to get the breakthrough, with Kitty Millward unlucky not to double the lead early in the second half when she got onto the end of a penetrating pass from Dom Preston.
Some desperation defending in their own D by Leni Millward and Peter Florance ended multiple dangerous threats at the opposite end with one such instance allowing Orbost to launch a rapid counterattack that ended with a Jasper Anderson shot looping over the goal keeper to equalise the proceedings at 2-2.
Finding themselves a goal down in the dying minutes, the Green and Gold pushed hard in search of a draw with Chloe Findley’s hard-running into the D and an Keira Irvine opportunity after a threaded Edlington pass representing their best chances before the disappointment of the corner that might have been at the death.
The same scoreline was also recorded in the final game of the day when the two under 18 sides took to the field, this time Sale was the winner (3-2).
An undermanned Orbost outfit should have been proud of its efforts in taking it right up to a team that is sitting comfortably above it on the ladder.
Sale was able to open up a two-goal lead in the first half, but the Green and Gold was still generating plenty of goal-scoring opportunities of their own with Jasper Anderson firing just wide from a corner and both Dom Preston and Campbell Edlington were denied by the goal keeper’s pads before the goal post was the only thing that prevented another power hit from Jasper Anderson from going in.
After an excellent slap to safety by goalie Mitch Farley and a crucial clearance from Leni Millward kept Sale from extending its lead, Orbost pulled a goal back when Joe Mathews drilled the ball home sweetly from a corner and although their opponents edged ahead again, a second Green and Gold goal came after a great piece of team interplay which ended with a Dom Preston bullet across the D ending in the back of the cage.
After a brave charge out by Mitch Farley to prevent Sale from sealing the contest, there was time for one last attack only for Anderson’s late blast to be deflected wide.
The Green and Gold will be back in action this Saturday when it travels to the WORLD facility in Bairnsdale to take on Maffra.
