First XI Girls' Hockey Team - Champions
On 23 August, the First XI Girls' Hockey Team travelled to Blake Park in Tauranga to play Whakatane Girls' High School in the finals for the Midlands Intercity Secondary Schools Hockey Competition.
Having played the team during pool rounds and losing to them 3-1, the St Paul's team knew it was going to be a tough game to win. The game began and after the first quarter when both sides played quite nervously, St Paul's fell behind with Whakatane scoring in the second quarter.
Unfortunately, the St Paul's team was unable to score during the third quarter but was gaining confidence. At quarter-time, the players knew they would have to give everything and increase the intensity of the game in order to fight back and win the competition.
All the girls on the turf improved their performance by not only playing better hockey but also being more supportive and talking to each other more. By doing this, the team was able to score two goals to gain a 2-1 lead. However, the game was not over yet. Whakatane Girls' team managed to score in the last seconds of the game from a penalty corner making the final score 2-2.
This goal meant the game would go to shootouts to decide the winner. The St Paul's goalie, Frankie Muir, alongside our five shootout girls (Gracie Potter, Renee Carey, Alyssa Fenemor, Grace Walters and Izzie Watson) were left with the tough task of winning this game. With all four of our shootout girls scoring and one receiving a stroke and with Frankie being incredible in goal, we came away with the win.
This result is the first time ever in St Paul’s history that the St Paul’s First XI Girls' Hockey team has made the Intercity Finals and won. It was such an amazing night and really showed the players' strong teamwork and culture especially when coming from 0-1 to score two goals in the final quarter and then winning the game. It was definitely a highlight of the year for all of the team, coaches and managers and the team is in a great position heading into the National Secondary Schools Tournament in Christchurch the following week.