Hawks swoop to draw level

The South West Strikers have some competition for second on the Promotion One State league hockey ladder after falling to the fast flowing Southern River in Bunbury on Sunday afternoon.

The pace and direct drives up the middle of the park by the Hawks were too much for the Strikers who crashed from a handy 2-0 lead to a 5-3 defeat.

After their early season draw, victory was in the sights of the South West and when they stormed to 2-0 after 20 minutes with some concerted attacks punters settled in for a big win.

However with their bevy of international Asian imports launching a series of scintillating sorties up the middle of the park the Southern River Hawks swooped, overtaking the Strikers before half-time and running on to a 5-2 scoreline before a last gasp Courtney Barton consolation restored some respect to proceedings.

The first 20 minutes of the match belonged to the Strikers with Ashleigh Docking, Barton, Tenielle Barbetti, Anna Roberts and youngster Scout Regan driving the Strikers forward.

Gibbons struck at the eight minute mark with a well worked field goal engineered by a 50m Docking dash and lay off to Regan whose shot Gibbons deflected into the top of the net before teenager Tenielle Barbetti belted home the South West’s second 15 minutes later.

Suddenly that 2-0 became 3-2 with Korean Kim Eunyoung starting a 10-minute trilogy of goals with a reverse stick shot from a melee in the circle after a sweeping attack down the field.

Chelsea Heath snuck in behind Strikers goalie Amber Vivian to take a pass and level at 2-2 five minutes later before Kim showed her class with a scintillating backhander tennis great Rafael Nadal would have been proud of, slotting her trademark “tomahawk” shot from an almost impossible angle.

The Strikers had their chances with five penalty corners to three but with the River girls flooding their area in deep defence they just dammed up the Strikers path to goal.

Team baby Scout Regan was awarded best on ground for the South West Strikers with the Hawks naming Yoo Kwanghee their best.