Wairarapa College are the top-ranked secondary schoolgirl's hockey side in the country after their thrilling 2-1 win over defending champions Diocesan School in the grand final of the Federation Cup tournament in Albany.
It was a hugely gutsy performance by Wairarapa College who trailed 0-1 going into the last 30 minutes of play but grabbed victory through goals from two of their four New Zealand under-21 squad members, Megan Hull and Felicity Reidy.
Wairarapa College coach Willie Schaefer described the final as a "real heart stopper". He said there was little between the two teams all the way through with the defensive play of both sides being absolutely outstanding.
"They [Diocesan] threw everything at us over the closing stages but we kept them out, it was pretty nerve-wracking stuff," Schaefer said. "It's a fantastic feeling to pull it off. Everybody is rapt."
The Federation Cup attracts the top 16 secondary schoolgirl sides in the country and not only did Wairarapa College do Wairarapa proud but so, too, did St Matthew's Collegiate, who placed third equal with St Cuthbert's College. They played off for third and fourth and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Jenna Anderson scored the St Matthew's goal. St Matthew's had earlier drawn 0-0 with Diocesan School in pool play.