Cairns Hockey veteran breaks rivals’ hearts

Patience is a virtue and Souths needed plenty of it before putting away Trinity Stingers 1-0 in their Cairns Hockey Associations A-grade women’s clash on Saturday night.

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Patience is a virtue and Souths needed plenty of it before putting away Trinity Stingers 1-0 in their Cairns Hockey Associations A-grade women’s clash on Saturday night.

The defending premiers had to wait until the 59th minute before finally cracking the defence of last year’s grand final rivals with a Sue Whipp strike off a short corner.

The last-minute goal secured the win for the red and black but the match had been there for either side to take up until that point.

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Souths veteran Sue Whipp was in the thick of the action at the Cairns Hockey Women's A Grade match between South Cairns and Trinity Stingers. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

Stingers, who were riding a wave of momentum after last week’s 4-0 routing of Brothers, started the match with the greater intensity and created more opportunities in the first half.

But, with gun striker Lisa Fatnowna unavailable, they lacked polish on the end of their attacking raids and couldn’t capitalise on their early dominance.

Stingers had five penalty corners before Souths found their first in the 43rd minute, and they would find their second just three minutes later, as they ramped up the pressure in an attempt to keep their undefeated streak alive.

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Zoe Van Drie and Carmen Haug contest the ball in the Cairns Hockey Women's A Grade match between South Cairns and Trinity Stingers. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

The game looked certain to be a draw, with neither side willing to concede.

That was until the 59th minute, when Sue Whipp sneaked the winner.

Souths’ young brigade, including Bella Cochran, Zoe Van Drie, Sophie Gilligan and Laura Bernotavicius, all stood tall in the high-pressure clash, while the experience of veterans Patrice Butler and match winner Sue Whipp came to the fore in the crunch moments.

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Stingers' Jess Watson in the Cairns Hockey Women's A Grade match between South Cairns and Trinity Stingers. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

Captain Lola Pastrana and midfielder Jess Watson were strong for Stingers, while former Hockeyroo Heather Langham was a chief contributor in her first game for the club, with her ability to read the play a key factor in a very tidy defensive effort.

Souths captain Caitlyn Whipp had identified the form of her 17-year-old keeper Layla Parker as a key to victory heading into the match, and the teenage sensation stood up again, making a number of crucial saves in another clean sheet.

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ROUND 4 RESULTS

Men’s: Saints d Brothers 5-1, Souths d Stingers 2-1

Women’s: Souths d Stingers 1-0, Saints drw Brothers 1-1

Originally published as Cairns Hockey veteran breaks rivals’ hearts