Cardinia Storm won one of its three games in Round 9 as the Men’s Metro 1 South side led the way with a hard-fought victory over Frankston, 2-1.
However, Storm’s other two sides weren’t able to get over the line this week, going down in narrow losses to some quality opponents.
The Men’s Metro 1 clash against Frankston kept spectators on the edge of their seats as both sides came out determined to take home the points.
Cardinia sits second on the ladder and has put itself in a really good spot as the season approaches finals, while Frankston is third.
Despite early pressure from Frankston, Cardinia was able to hold firm and repel any attacking plays as the defenders started the game well.
It was a good start from the Storm as Adam Welcome executed a short corner to give Jake Griffiths a goal and bring the early momentum in favour of Cardinia.
The second goal for the Storm came from the ever-reliable Scott Burnett, who stepped up in the absence of the team’s leading goal scorer.
His experience shone through as he remained composed and converted on a shot to put his side in a great position to win its seventh game of the season.
But Frankston wasn’t going to give in, and they continued to push forward, launching a wave of attacks and forcing Cardinia goalkeeper Cameron Watts to defend for his life.
Watts did this so well, as he pulled off some remarkable saves with sliding dives and moments of acrobatic brilliance.
Frankston managed to find the back of the net in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as the Storm held on to register a crucial 2-1 victory.
The result creates a larger gap between Cardinia and Frankston (which is third) as the Storm surge towards finals.
The Men’s Metro 2 South side battled hard all game but ultimately came up short 3-1 against a strong Frankston outfit.
Samuel Albrecht was the sole goal scorer in a game which was evenly contested, but the Storm failed to convert on other opportunities.
This didn’t stop goalkeeper Darren Rowe, inspired by Metro 1 goalkeeper Watts, to dive and slide to save multiple shorts.
The Storm still sits seventh on the ladder but are just a couple of wins away from pushing into finals contention.
They will look to bounce back and get a win when they take on another local side in Casey Hockey Club this weekend.
In the final game, Cardinia Storm Women’s Metro 1 South team put in a gutsy performance against the top-ranked Mentone Panthers in a tightly contested match that ended 1–0 in the Panthers’ favour.
Despite missing some key players, the inclusions stood up nicely and played important roles for the team and there was no lack of effort or resilience from the team.
The standout of the game was Sarah Dunlop, who made her debut and had the goalkeeper role – she conceded just one goal for the match and saved many attempts.
The side maintained great sportsmanship throughout the match, displaying discipline and level-headedness with an impressive work rate.
This intensity helped them challenge the Panthers until the final whistle, which was a strong effort considering they had a short bench and a new goalie.
Cardinia sits in fourth position on the ladder and is looming as serious contenders with the 2025 finals fast approaching.
