Hungry Tigers quick to run down prey

In the only premier women’s match this weekend, Taieri Tigers put on a first-half blitz against University B to keep pace with the competition leaders.

The Tigers ended up winning 6-0.

With the other matches deferred due to national under-21 tournament commitments, the girls in yellow had a point to prove after a couple of below-par performances.

The side raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes as the Stingrays appeared to have no answers for the full-court pressure and slick ball movement of their opposition.

The experienced Erin Smyth was causing all sorts of havoc in the middle of the field, while other midfielders Mira Neuman and Julia Boothroyd were able to feed their strikers plenty of go-forward ball. The Tigers added two more before the break to wrap up the game in the first period. It could have been worse for the Uni girls but defender Rachel Stafford-Bush had a busy game and keeper Claire McGregor stood up well under the pressure.

In the second half, the Stingrays made a significant improvement and fought back into the wrestle of the match, but the sting had gone out of the game and Taieri seemed to have taken the foot off the pedal.

Both sides were able to create further chances in the second half but only one more goal was netted, when Taieri added a sixth with a successful penalty corner with around 30 seconds to play. Sophie Gray picking up a brace in the match, the highlight of the scoring.

The matches that have been deferred over the past two weekends will be caught up over the next couple of Sundays.

- Matthew West

Add a Comment