Pottinger helps Dalefield stay on course for semis

A second half scoring spree took Dalefield to a commanding 8-0 win over Karori in their Wellington premier division women's hockey match played at Clareville on Saturday.
Dalefield had much the better of the first half but a combination of lack of finish on their part and some superb work by the Karori goalkeeper saw them up by just 2-0 at the break.
Coach Rochette Retter said the halftime message to her team was to be more accurate in their passing and to have greater depth in their attacks and they responded brilliantly, adding six further goals to their tally.
Outstanding for Dalefield in a win which ensured they stayed on track for a semi-final berth was Amanda Pottinger, who directed play intelligently, while Libby Monaghan also made a positive impression when she came off the bench at halftime.
The experience and tactical nous of Ana May Playle was always obvious and Georgia Burton starred in several penetrating runs before suffering what is hoped to be a minor injury.
Goal scorers for Dalefield were Charlotte Meo (2), Dayna Yeo (2), Karen James (2), Tara Hall and Ana May Playle.
The Dalefield men also turned on one of their best performances of the season at Clareville on Saturday despite losing their Wellington premier division match with Northern United by 2-0.
Northern United started hot favourites but were consistently kept on their toes by a Dalefield team which measured up well on both attack and defence.
New captain Rowan Yeo was an inspirational figure for Dalefield and was given strong support by brother Tobyn Yeo, Greg Mason and goalkeeper Orin Lockyer who made a couple of fine saves. The return of former national age group representative Daniel Juno at centre half was also a big plus for the home side.
Dalefield coach Mark Fenwick said his team competed well enough to actually deserve a better result. "We were right in it all the way through, it was a good, gutsy effort," he said.