Round eight of the Hockey Premier League was a mixed bag for Lithgow teams, who completed the round with three wins but some disappointing performances.
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Panthers women’s team performed exceptionally against Ex-Services on home ground, producing a 6-nil result.
Ex-Services is currently sitting in fifth place on the league’s table, while Panthers is sitting on second with St Pat’s.
“They played really well,” coach Cheryn Van-Veen said.
“We started off really well and then we kind of eased off a little bit towards half time, we knew we had to kick it back up.”
Van-Veen said Ex-Services struggled to enter the Panther’s goal circle the entire game.
“Our defence was really good. It was whole team defence, from the front to the back,” she said.
It was an encouraging prelude to Panther’s upcoming matches against leading teams St Pat’s and Bathurst City, who both foiled the defending champions early in the competition. It was the first time Bathurst City had won against the Panthers since 2014.
“It’s going to be a tough game because they are a top lot too,” coach Van-Veen said.
“We’ve got a couple out with injury so hopefully we can get on top. Abby Wilson will be back next week so that will be good for game.”
Panthers men are similarly preparing to take on league rivals St Pat’s next week, who currently have a four-point lead on the table.
Their last match, a 5-3 win against Orange Wanderers, who are sitting second-last on the table, hasn’t left them feeling too confident.
“I was not too happy with our performance,” assistant coach Micheal Charlton said.
He commended players Dane Guffogg and Tom Piggott despite a middling result.
“I am hoping to see a bit more discipline and a high amount of effort out there.
“St Pat’s at Bathurst, it’s a must win.”
Zig Zag are currently sitting two points behind the Panthers after a disappointing loss to Bathurst Souths in round seven.
They came back strong on Saturday with a 7-1 win to Parkes United. The only bad news for Zig Zag was that during the game Ben Kelly broke his thumb.
“He’ll be off for six weeks, so that’s a shame,” manager Brian Kelly said.
Zig Zag women remain at the bottom of the league after a 4-nil loss to Parkes.