Cairns Hockey: Resilient Saints to face old foe in hockey decider
Saints have reversed the result of the 2019 elimination semi-final to book a spot in the Cairns Hockey Association A-grade women’s decider.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Saints have reversed the result from the 2019 elimination semi-final to book a spot in the Cairns Hockey Association A-grade women’s decider.
The sky blues defeated Trinity Stingers 3-1 on Thursday night and will now face perennial rivals Souths in the big dance next Friday night.
Kayla Devlin got Saints on the board with a penalty stroke after striker Sarah Allan was taken out by Stingers keeper Sonya Fleischfresser in a one-on-one situation on goal.
Sophie Glover made the most of a scrambling Stingers defence to give Saints a 2-0 lead, before Stingers captain Lola Pastrana narrowed the margin off a penalty corner.
It was game on as Stingers hunted another goal to force extra time, but a counter-attack spearheaded by Saints captain Teneal Kelly, and finished by Allan, secured the win.
The game saw the return of Saints’ Gabi McArthur, who sustained a quad injury against Brothers in Round 4.
Saints coach Kylie McArthur praised Stingers’ heart after the contest.
MORE NEWS:
Semi-final Stingers spurred by team-first attitude
Saints go marching into men’s decider
Fierce take out premiers to climb to top spot
Cairns Netball sister act leading way for Saints
“They just keep coming and never give up,” she said.
“We were able to just hold it out and weather the storm.”
She said Saints would now shift focus to next week’s grand final against Souths.
“There’s some areas that we need to tighten up for ourselves, and some areas that we need to continue to build and work on,” she said.
McArthur said she was proud of her team’s effort in the challenging season.
“At times, it’s felt a bit disjointed and a bit disconnected but I’m proud of the girls for being resilient and tolerant and working towards a common goal,” she said.
“That’s what’s been most pleasing — they’ve all turned up and done the job.
“We just have to back it up with one more match.”
Originally published as Cairns Hockey: Resilient Saints to face old foe in hockey decider