WOMEN'S SOCCER: Cellar dwellers' moment in the sun

ANENDRA SINGH
When a team belongs to a club in a social capacity and plays second fiddle to the main team, victories are rare and coverage in the media even more so.
That's what Eskview White's Carol Hurban has had to endure over the seasons, wearing the cellar-dwellers' tag around her neck as the stronger Blues hogged the limelight with better quality players.
So when her Whites defeated Port Hill 2-1 at Petane Domain yesterday there's not enough adjectives in the beautiful game to describe her ecstasy. In fact, Hurban was warming the reserve bench and overcame the desire to run on to the field.
"I wanted to go on but they were doing so well I didn't want to stuff things up," she said last night.
From Colorado, in the United States, Hurban played the familiar game of softball for Taradale when she arrived in Napier in 1993.
A friend, Jacqui Harris, enticed the accounts employee at Mangaroa Prison, in Hastings, into playing soccer in winter. In the States, Hurban was a mother on the sidelines as her then two young girls, Jessica and Lindsey, played.
"I always wanted to play (in the US) but there were no women's social teams then," she said. Lindsey, living in California, played representative soccer and Jessica, living in Napier, played in the Eskview Blues team until moving to Wellington.
Left wing Tanya Kiwara (12th minute) and striker Kylie Crabtree (24th) took the Whites to a 2-0 lead at halftime.
Porthill striker Tanya Jonker got one back in the 61st minute. The visiting goalkeeper Jana Bowman saved a penalty kick from White centreback Tiffany Anderson in the 67th minute.
At St Leonard's Park, in Hastings, Havelock North inflicted the first loss, 3-2, of the season on Western Rangers. The visitors went 1-0 up in the 25th minute after left wing Kay Tong scored from the spot when Rangers' defenders handled the ball twice.
Keeper Rachel Kairau did well to get her hands on it but didn't stretch out enough to the left-hand corner.
Two minutes later, referee Trevor Ruffell, awarded a penalty to Rangers when centreback Rachel Webby was deemed to have handled the ball. Centre-mid Sian Withers slotted it past Raquel Lewis.
Havelock centre-mid Nikki Dowler scored in the 37th minute in front of the goal after a cross from lanky striker Catherine "Stretch" Geor. The imposing Geor stretched that lead to 3-1 on the stroke of halftime.
With the stiff breeze behind them, Rangers striker Cathy Giles hit back three minutes into the second half from a Kelsi Carruthers cross on the right flank.
The hosts lost their structure and started relying on too many long-range speculator passes as the Blue and Golds hung on for a 3-2 victory despite playing with 10 players with right half Leijse Donkin opting to dash off to a hockey match 10 minutes into the second half.
On Saturday, Marist slaughtered a depleted Hibernian 10-0 at Park Island, after leading 4-0 at halftime.
Central Districts cricketer Rachel Priest, as striker, claimed five goals, striker Leanne Mahoney scored two and leftback Brenda Balson, centre-mid Abbie James and defender Kirsten Kilmartin claimed one each.
Unfortunately for Marist, Priest heads off to Brisbane, where her family are based until the next summer of cricket here.
She is playing in tomorrow's crucial clash against Rossi Gannon's Napier City Rovers, who are playing all their games on week days to avoid a clash with Hawke's Bay women's Federation commitments.
At Petane Domain on Saturday, Viv Moule's Blues pipped Taradale 2-1.
Taradale right midfielder Nikki Bailey scored in the 11th minute but the Blues soon settled down with left-mid Saane Cocker equalising in the 35th minute from a Jarn McLeland cross.
Striker Carissa Lissington nailed the winner three minutes later.