The departure of their prodigious Central representative players made for a barren bench while facing a team of eager teenagers, as the Wanganui women hung on for a 2-2 draw with Massey B in the only local Manawatu league game on Saturday.
Playing without Rebecca Baker or Jo Bell, bothaway at the Under 18 representative training camp, while newcomer Ellie Heenan and veteran Jan Dixon were unavailable, Wanganui conceeded the opening goal in the Senior Women's grade match at Gonville Domain.
They replied back-to-back to take a 2-1 led into the halftime break, before getting a bit of bad luck with Massey's equaliser.
"Their goal in the second half was probably a bit unfortunate that it was awarded a goal," said coach Colleen Baylis.
The Massey shot into traffic took a deflection off a Wanganui defender and not one of the attackers, although given the speed involved and the close proximity of players, Baylis said they just had to accept the call.
The women's division, unlike Manawatu Division 1 for the men, is still using the old format of two halves rather than 17 minute quarters, meaning the understrength Wanganui team were running on fumes by the end.
"It's hard yakka when you've got 12 players," said Baylis.
"[Massey] had 16 but threw a lot of ball away. If they had some more experianced players, they would have scored more.
"The girls did really well, I can't ask for more."
Veteran Michelle Low had returned from her NZ Masters duties and took over the unfamiliar position of goal keeper.
Olivia Smith played very well and Baylis also singled out Lizzy Brooks-Mann for having a strong match up front.
The coach said that the format is likely to revert to four quarter games when the combined Senior Women's grade splits into seperate Division 1 and 2 grades after the first round.
Before then, Wanganui have a tough ask this coming Saturday as they travel to the Twin Turfs to meet the 2016 Division 1 champions College.
College hammered HSHC Evergreens 11-0 at the weekend, to follow up their 9-0 destruction of Massey B on the opening weekend.
Wanganui beat Evergreens 3-0 first up before Saturday's draw, heading now into their first away match.
"Hopefully we'll have the full compliment back," said Baylis.
"I think it will be good for us to have that next step up.
"We're really about ball retention and doing the basics well."
The game starts at 1.30pm.
Also back in action after the bye week is Tech College Old Boys in Manawatu Division 1, when they will meet Palmerston North Boys High at Gonville Domain, starting at 1.30pm.
Tech picked up their first points the previous weekend with a 3-3 draw against HSHC in their first match back at Gonville, after tough away losses on the first two weekends against Marist and College.
Trin McCarthy looks to clear the ball out of Wanganui's half.
