It was always going to be a big ask to take home a win against Premier League Hockey powerhouse St Pat’s with seven members missing from the Lithgow Zig Zag men's squad.
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St Pat’s continue to lead the way in men’s Premier League Hockey after the 4-0 win over Zig Zag on Saturday.
Lithgow hosted the Saints but were not able to gain a home-ground advantage. The Bathurst side scored twice either side of half-time in a strong performance.
Pat’s began on the front foot and despite not being rewarded at first for a strong start, they eventually broke through.
Darcy Davis opened the scoring from a penalty corner around 20 minutes into the match to give the visitors the ascendancy. Justin Mellor added a second as he was on hand to hit home a blocked penalty corner flick.
Pat’s continued to lock Zig Zag out of the contest in the second half thanks to their strong defence.
The visitors were still busy inflicting pain at the other end of the field as well.
When Charlie Schofield found the third goal for Pat’s, Zig Zag were locked out of the contest.
The fourth Pat’s goal of the day, scored by Blake Davis, completed a perfect trip for the Bathurst club.
Zig Zag manager Brian Kelly said there were no excuses offered for the loss, but the team was seven men down due to injuries and other commitments.
Player’s Player points went to Daniel Granger (3), who made his Premier League debut in goals against St Pat’s, Eli Shirt (2) and Luke Sheppard (1).
Kelly also mentioned Evan McGrath and Ben Redding for their solid contributions on the field.
With two rounds to go the men’s Premier League Hockey finalists have already been decided – Pat’s, Lithgow Panthers, Souths and Zig Zag – although the finishing order has not yet been determined.
BATHURST ST PAT’S 4 (Darcy Davis, Justin Mellor, Blake Davis, Charlie Schofield) def LITHGOW ZIG ZAG 0
It was a tough day for the Ziggies all around on Saturday, with the women’s team also slumping to a 5-0 loss against St Pat’s at Bob Roach Field in Bathurst.
The Ziggies were in all sorts very early. Going in to the match without a win, the team also started with no reserves.
The Saints wasted no time in getting on the score board and ran away convincing winners.
It was 2-0 after seven minutes as an early Kristy Ekert strike was followed by a Julie Hanman goal from a well-worked penalty corner set piece.
The Saints dominated possession in the opening period and it was not until the 17 minute mark that Zig Zag notched up its first circle penetration.
The visitors managed to draw a penalty corner, but Amy Glenn was quick off her line to block Jana Winnard’s shot.
Winnard had another half chance seven minutes later when she dived to try and connect with a cross, but the ball was just out of reach.
For Pat’s the chances were plentiful and the weight of possession in good field position eventually led to more goals.
Ekert made it a hat-trick for the half as firstly she slotted home a cross then scored from a penalty corner play just before the break.
That made it 4-0 and when play resumed, the Saints continued to pressure.
The penalty corner count climbed and on number 12 Pat’s added to its tally with another nice variation.
This time Lucy Weal laid the ball off to Kirralee Naylor on the left and she powered her strike past the oncoming defenders.
That made it 5-0 and though Pat’s had another four penalty corners in the remaining 14 minutes, that’s how the score stayed.
ST PAT’S 5 (Kristy Ekert 3, Kirralee Naylor, Julie Hanman) def LITHGOW ZIG ZAG 0