Dalefield's hopes of a finals spot in the Wellington premier division women's hockey competition were well and truly dashed in their 8-2 loss to favourites Eastern Hutt at the National Hockey Stadium in Wellington at the weekend. Going in to the match, coach Nigel Goodin had hopes his side could pullof an upset, and after conceding a goal early in the piece, it looked like Dalefield had every chance of sticking close to their opponents. "They scored early, but then we held them for a very long time and it looked positive for us, but then about seven minutes from the end of the half they knocked in three goals which really set us back," Goodin said yesterday. Dalefield dug deep in the second spell, however, and staged a mini-comeback with goals to Norma Stein, one from a penalty stroke and the other from a penalty corner, to drag the score back to 4-2. But the comeback wasn't to last as Eastern Hutt stepped up another gear and banged in another four goals before the finish to pick up a well-deserved win. Goodin was philosophical about the result, but adamant his side would be able to shed their disappointment before they took on Victoria next week in the playoff for third and fourth spot. "I guess we were a little bit intimidated by Eastern Hutt. "They are a very intimidating side, even towards the umpires which is a bit frustrating for us, but in the end I'm confident we'll be able to pick ourselves up for next week. "We have a lot of senior, experienced players in our side who know what needs to be done next weekend and they'll help the others get up." Dalefield have had mixed results against Victoria University this season, but their last match ended in a draw, which gives Goodin some confidence. "On paper we should beat them, but in a couple of the earlier games this season we've led them only to let them back in. "We'll need to be aware of that next weekend," he said.
