They had held on to the shield for more than 1000 days but were pipped 2-1 by Momona in the Dunedin premier women’s game on Saturday.
After finding the back of the net through an Abby Lennon reverse shot in the first quarter, Momona seemed to gain some confidence.
In typical fashion, the City Highlanders made their way back up to the attacking circle.
A breakdown in play and a lack of communication led to Momona keeper Keita Elliot being left high and dry, and Ella Lloyd made the most of the opportunity to get the Highlanders on the board.
It was not until 10 minutes remaining in the final quarter that Momona found the back of the net again through Ella McCall.
Momona retained possession as much as possible to deny City any equalising opportunities and cling on to the 2-1 result.
The women’s round had started with the University Huskies beating the Taieri Tigers 1-0.
It seemed as if the game could go either way until the Huskies managed to find the crucial goal through Maia Shackelford.
It was goal for goal until Kings nabbed a one-point lead going into the final minutes of the game and, while the Stingrays tried their hardest to get one past Rachael Lecky in goal, she kept denying their efforts.
An exciting day of men’s club hockey started with the University Whales beating the Albany Alligators 4-0.
The Whales continued their fine form from last week as both Andrew Popham and Jakob Bell-Kake scored two goals. Felix McIntosh found himself under fire from the Whales strikers but made some magnificent saves in goal for the Alligators.
The Alligators were unfortunate not to score themselves as they had a few opportunities in the attacking circle.
The Taieri Tuataras beat Kings United 3-1.
James Nicolson was clinical at penalty corner time for the Tuataras, scoring twice to give his side a handy lead.
Kings United got one back through Daniel Torr before Jarrod Casey sealed victory for the Tuataras.
In Oamaru, Tainui beat the University Panthers 5-1.
Duncan McLeod scored twice, and Rory McLeod, Nick Dalziel and Jacob Smith also grabbed goals for Tainui.
- Grace Milne
