MELVILLE City men’s hockey team took another important step towards qualifying for this year’s finals series with a 2-0 win over third-placed Old Aquinians on Saturday night.
Playing in front of a home crowd bolstered by the families of 40 young hockey players who had been part of a “Young Guns on the Turf” event immediately prior to the game, Melville played with good control and temperament against the dangerous Aquinians.
The first half was very even with neither side creating many chances.
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READ NOWMatt Willis scored a penalty corner goal halfway through the second half, but the game remained in the balance until Justin McDougall sealed the result with a couple of minutes remaining.
Coach Russell Lee said the important win had consolidated a run of good results in recent weeks.
“The top five is still extremely tight and we have to keep winning to guarantee a chance to play finals,” he said.
“We need to keep working hard on some key areas – we need to be more clinical in finishing the chances that we make, and calmer in defence, but overall we are making good progress.
“It was great to see the kids out there before our game today – the players love seeing that as they come on the field and the interaction is just fantastic.”