By Jonty Ralphsmith
A 1-1 draw with Mentone has ended Cardinia’s hopes of a top-four finish in its inaugural season of women’s hockey.
Having shown so much promise throughout the season, some things have gone against the Storm late in the season, which has them sitting five points outside finals in sixth with one round remaining.
While circumstance has created the sentiment that a loss was as good as a defeat, it was a high quality game of hockey, with most players rising to the occasion.
Bec Gregory was the goal scorer and she was well fed all day by a well-functioning midfield and tight defence.
The women will be looking to finish the season on a high but will face a stern test against top-placed Waverley.
Meanwhile, the under-10s were competitive in a 3-0 loss to Frankston with William Brown the player of the match.
In the under-12s, the highlight was a stylish Harley Spence goal early in the second half in a 4-1 loss to Eastern Christian Hockey Organisation.
Results: MCC 0 v Waverley 2, St Bede’s 2 v Knox 3, Cardinia 1 v Mentone 1, Hawthorn 0 v Monash University 8
Ladder: Waverley 35, St Bede’s 33, Mentone 30, Knox 30 Monash 26, Cardinia 25, Hawthorn 8, MCC 5
Fixture: Waverley v Cardinia, Mentone v St Bede’s, Knox v Hawthorn, Monash University v MCC Hockey Section
