Hawke's Bay will meet Canterbury in today's semifinals at the national under-15 girls premier hockey tournament at Napier's Park Island.
The Graeme Findlay-Dominie Cresswell-coached Hawke's Bay side pipped North Harbour 2-1 in their semifinal yesterday. After scoring 17 goals and conceding none in their previous three games Findlay admitted he was eager to see how his girls coped with a tight encounter.
He was delighted with how they responded to the challenge. Hawke's Bay led 1-0 at halftime after striker Hannah Cotter succeeded with a straight shot from a penalty corner.
North Harbour equalised with a goal from a penalty corner with 10 minutes remaining. Cotter scored the winning goal after converting a penalty corner attempt from a layoff with five minutes remaining.
"It was a huge team effort. It was a dry day and as a result the turf dried fast which resulted in a high error rate from both teams. However, we were slightly better in those conditions much to the delight of the coaching staff and supporters," Findlay said.
