Tight team unit the recipe for success

The ability to handle pressure played a big part in Wairarapa College's stunning success at the recent satellite secondary schoolgirls soccer tournament held in Wellington.
Up against opposition from Auckland in the north to Motueka in the south, Wairarapa College beat Katikati High School 2-1 in the grand final but only after they had survived penalty shootouts in both their quarter-final and semi-final matches, a situation which placed goalkeeper Esther Crispin fairly and squarely in the hot seat.
It was no surprise then that Wairarapa College should also win the award for the team with the best defensive record.
They conceded just the two goals all tournament.
Interestingly enough Kati Kati went into the final with the best attacking record, having scored more than 20 goals in their
lead-up games, but in a match played in wet conditions they were actually outscored by Wairarapa College.
"It was nice to win the final without a penalty shootout & we weren't too keen to go there again," Wairarapa College coach Jacky Nathu quipped. "The nerves can only take so much!"
Nathu said while the tightness of their defence was a huge part of the Wairarapa United effort it was probably not as important as the tightness of the team as a unit, both on and off the paddock.
"They really did knit together well, everybody was working for each other," he said.
Nathu does admit, however, that with a young and relatively inexperienced side at his disposal 12 of the 14 will be returning next year their title win caught even him by surprise.
"We had talked about wanting to make the top eight, even perhaps the top four, but winning & no, that seemed too much of a long shot," he said.
The successful Wairarapa College squad was: Esther Crispin, Emma Davison, Shakira Nathu (nominated as most valuable player), Jesse Bennett, Jaimi Stewart, Kelsey Wilson, Kelsi Rutene (captain), Corrina Paine, Gemma Keen, Anna Keen, Elizabeth Keedwell, Britt Paton, Chloe Stevens and Rosalie Dew.
The same Wairarapa College team completed their season by beating St Matthew's Collegiate 2-0 in the final of the local Knockout Cup series, a result which preserved their unbeaten record for the 2008 season.
And 10 of their side are part of the Wairarapa under-17 line-up which will contest their national tournament in Palmerson North in a couple of weeks time, a team which will also be coached by Jacky Nathu. They won their first warm-up game against Hutt Valley 1-0.