It was a case of win one, lose one for the two Masterton-based college hockey teams competing in the finals of the Wellington Secondary Schools tournament in Wellington last Friday night.
St Matthew's Collegiate took the honours in the girls' tournament, defeating Marsden College 4-1.
St Matthew's had earned their place in
the final following an 8-0 thrashing of Wellington Girls' College in the semifinal.
Coach Abby Hill was justifiably delighted with the result.
"It was good to get a tough final," Hill said.
"The semi hadn't been the biggest challenge, so the girls had to pull out all the stops to beat Marsden."
The score was tied 1-1 at halftime but two late goals saw St Matthew's home.
Jenna Anderson caught the eye of two Black Sticks watching the final and was deservedly declared Player of the Match. Ashleigh Marfell and Morgan Percy also had strong games.
Meanwhile, Wairarapa College boys were unable to match that winning performance, going down 3-1 in their final to Wellington College.
Wairarapa took a seventh-minute lead when Hugh Taylor netted from close range.
The team continued to call the shots through the first half but were unable to add to the goal tally despite creating several scoring opportunities.
This lack of finishing was ultimately to prove costly as Wellington College equalised with a soft goal 12 minutes into the second half.
Wairarapa College were then reduced to 10 men after a yellow carding and then conceded a second goal from a deflection.
With five minutes remaining, Wellington College inflicted the killer blow, claiming a breakaway goal to complete the scoring.
Wairarapa College can feel hard done by with this result but can still look back on a successful season overall.
