Tessa Jopp grew up in the cradle of New Zealand women's hockey in the Maniototo and started playing at the age of 6.
Jopp (17), a pupil at St Hilda's Collegiate, is playing in the Southern team at the national under-18 girls premier tournament in Dunedin this week.
She was a key defender in the Southern team that beat Auckland B 3-1 at the McMillan Centre yesterday.
Jopp, who grew up on a sheep farm at Kokonga, was a tenacious defender who made life difficult for the Auckland strikers.
Her skill and aggressive play suggested she could follow in the footsteps of Maniototo greats of the past such as former Olympian Mandy Smith.
She demonstrated her versatility with some strong runs up the right flank and made the game safe for Southern when she hit in a goal from a penalty corner early in the second half.
Southern led 2-1 at the break after midfielder Phoebe Steele and Dayna Holland scored first-half goals. Kayla Vao netted from a penalty corner for Auckland B.
Southern played constructive hockey and used the width of the field to attack. After getting the lead, Southern defended its advantage with controlled hockey, and there were some standout defenders.
The best was goalie Ginny Wilson, who made four superb saves in the last 20 minutes, including two strong hits from penalty corners.
She was backed by the midfield defence of Steele and Claudia Stothart, while the attacking play of striker Holland and Samara Dalziel kept the Auckland defenders on their toes.
The best Auckland players were midfielder Lulu Tuilotolava, striker Abi Stuart and Louise Barclay.
Sixteen teams are competing in the annual tournament that was first held in 1989 and was won by North Harbour last year.
The tournament continues all week and the final will be played at the McMillan Centre on Saturday.
• Striker Jack Gilbert scored a hat trick of goals when Southern beat Tauranga in the first round of the boys under-18 national tournament in Palmerston North yesterday.
