Sydney University Men’s First Grade Hockey team suffered a 4-2 loss to reigning premiers Sutherland last Saturday.
Uni started well and scored early in the first half through a Pete Kelly thunderbolt from the edge of the D. The rest of the half was an even tussle, with Sutherland scoring from a short corner. As a result of two turnovers late in the half from defensive counter-attacks, Sutherland skipped to a 3-1 lead at the break.
Uni showed good composure in the second half, and matched the premiers for the full 35 minutes. The backline of Troy Rossiter (GK), Dougal Alexander, Aaron Goninan and Brendan Purser were extremely solid, and the counter-attacking was good. Uni scored from a short corner mid-way through the half, but Sutherland managed a well-worked field goal soon after to move their lead back out to two goals. The last 15 minutes saw a very impressive performance from both teams, and the 1-1 scoreline for the half was a fair reflection and Uni can take a lot of encouragement from the game.
Next week Uni take on the other 2011 grand finalist, Moorebank, and the team will benefit from the return of two of its most experienced forwards for this game, and again have every chance of winning against another top side.
