Sensational Finals News!!  

Three SUHC senior teams go straight to the Grand Final with two others to contest Preliminary Finals this week!!

With the home and away rounds now done and dusted, SUHC started the first week of finals with 5 senior and 1 master’s teams in contention.

MSL
WSL
MPD
MPE
WM2SE
Masters A

Masters A started the week on a bright note last Monday night defeating Kew 4-1 in the first semi final to progress to the preliminary final against minor premiers Hawthorn. Well done gents and good luck in the preliminary!

WMSE2 and MPE then led off the senior finals campaign on a pleasant Saturday afternoon at Waverley and Monash University as they both took on their respective league’s minor premiers ECHO and Footscray.

WMSE2 started well and took an early lead only to go in a half time on par with the top side ECHO at 1 all. An even second half followed with SUHC finally breaking the deadlock not long before full time to take the game 2-1 and a slot in the Grand Final in 2 weeks time. Superb job ladies, a very well deserved result!!

MPE took on minor premiers Footscray and carried a 1 goal lead well into the second half until the Doggies finally equalised taking the game into golden goal extra time in what was a hectic and entertaining game. The tempo did not flag in the first period of sudden death with both sides threatening to end it with a single blow, but just falling short….and then up stepped Packo. With two minutes gone in the second period of extra time and as in days of old Packo calmly found the right hand corner of the Footscray goal from a neatly taken penalty corner, and the game and a Grand Final appearance was ours. Smiles all round especially from Packo who was still doing a fair imitation of a Cheshire Cat some 24 hours later.

MPD versus MUHC then followed in a game that in many ways mirrored the MPE encounter before it. SUHC controlled play for much of the time and finally took the lead after having constructed many scoring opportunities. However the Shoppers soon equalised and then took the lead with minutes to go in the second half. Once more SUHC rallied and had several chances to take the game into extra time but fell just short of the mark. 2-1 to MUHC and the end of the road for SUHC who had very good season and were unlucky to not go further. Well done men!!

Sunday…Father’s Day and the sun was shining in blue sky as WSL ventured onto S2 at the SNHC to take on Albury Wodonga in the knock out WSL2 semi final. SUHC had a famous win and a gusty draw with the other Strikers in the home and away season, but this counted for nothing in this sudden death encounter.

Both teams started vigorously with Albury having the best scoring opportunities especially on the counter attack and eventually opened the scoring despite some excellent last line defence from keeper Paige Andrew. SUHC then equalised from a Tamsin Nelson field goal to go in to half time all square. The second half was much like the first with Albury threatening and more SUHC goal line heroics this time from Shantel Hastings and  Caitlin Campbell. However, Albury drew ahead once more and it took an equaliser from skipper Sarah Ashworth to lock it up 2 all at full time. And so onto sudden death extra time which was, mercifully, cut relatively short when Scarlett Blewett popped in the winner after a goal mouth scramble…and a place in the next round was ours. Super effort girls, and now for Powerhouse in the preliminary final.

Two hours later MSL took to S2 in search of a Grand Final berth after having seen Albury take down Kew in a 6-5 extra time goal-fest  thriller.

Our opponents Essendon hadn’t been defeated all year and were firm favourites to extend their unbeaten run into the Grand Final. But sport is funny thing and it was SUHC who made the initial running, scoring early with a brilliant Mark Scully solo run goal, who then followed it up with second from a penalty corner soon after. Another converted corner from skipper Mark Tesoriero saw SUHC go into half time 3-0 leaders with many in the crowd pinching themselves to make sure they weren’t dreaming. But the Bombers were not done yet and scored quickly after the break to narrow the lead and then again soon after to further erode SUHC’s margin. An arm wrestle then ensured with Essendon creating several scoring opportunities but failing to convert while SUHC defended resolutely, sometimes desperately to hold them at bay. This momentous tussle was finally settled with a fourth SUHC goal, this time from Jesse Workman and SUHC ran out 4-2 winners and with a place in the MSL2 grand final.