College first XI team do themselves proud

The Wairarapa College first XI girls soccer team did themselves proud in the 2007 season.
Indications were that the loss of seven players from the previous year's line-up which had placed a remarkable third out of 24 teams at their national tourney could see a major drop in performance levels but that was very definitely not the case.
Under the coaching of Jacky Nathu and managed by Rose Davison, the relatively inexperienced Wairarapa College line-up, which included five year 9 players, won the local college league and then went on to beat arch rivals St Matthew's Collegiate in the Knockout Cup final as well.
The national secondary schoolgirls tourney in August was very much a case of "what might have been" for Wairarapa College.
They did exceptionally well to be seeded fifth after the preliminary seeding rounds and in the knockout rounds which followed they had the rare distinction of not losing any games in regular gametime.
All three of their matches there ended in draws.
Unfortunately for Wairarapa College, however, they did not fare so well in the sudden death penalty shootouts required to find a winner, winning only one of those to place a still very creditable seventh overall.
While all squad members had good reason to feel satisfied with their form over the season the two standouts had to be skipper Kelsi Rutene and Jess Hobman-Collings.
Two younger players who left the impression they were stars of the future were Jaimi Stewart and Kelsey Wilson, both of them in the first year at this level.
With the loss of only Hobman-Collings from their current side 2008 should be another good year for the Wairarapa College side and manager Davison already has one message for them, penalty practise will be high on the agenda then.