Hockey: WGHS pick up vital reserve win

Whangarei Girls' High School have triumphed over Parihaka in reserve A women's hockey match.

Whangarei Girls' High School held their nerve to come out 3-1 winners over Parihaka in their reserve A women's hockey match.

The school team went two goals up early in the match but when Parihaka got one back just before the halftime break it set up a tense period of play.

Girls' High stand in coach Mark Meyer said "we played some good hockey, we looked for the pass and didn't panic".

Meyer added "it was good for the school girls to come up against a tonne of experience and they were still able to pass the ball around them instead of going through them."

Girls' High's game plan was to use their speed and width to overcome a strong defence.

"The key was to try and get their full backs turning all the time and stretch them out," Meyer said.

"The girls had a lot of speed and quite a bit of control but Parihaka defended well."

A single goal in the second half stretched the score to 3-1 to give the well-supported Girls' High a bit of breathing space.

In other reserve A women's games on Friday, Springfield beat Kamo High School 1-0 and Old Girls beat Mangapai 7-0 while the top two sides Maungakaramea and Hikurangi couldn't be separated when they battled to a 2-all draw.

In the reserve men's grade played on Thursday Hora Hora beat Springfield 2-0 and Bream Bay beat Whangarei Boys' High School 5-0 while the so far unbeaten Maungakaramea drew 2-all with Mangapai.