By Blair Burns
It was another successful weekend for Cardinia Storm Hockey Club as both men’s sides recorded huge victories over Croydon and Waverley.
While the women’s side narrowly went down in a thriller against Mornington Peninsula, in what was a brave effort.
The Men’s Metro 1 South team continued its fine form to smash Waverley 11-1 as the Storm surged from beginning to end, never letting off the pressure.
Despite a very short warm-up, it was clear that the side was on fire as it opened the first quarter with three goals while Jackson Johnston was at his best.
Waverley brought more of a competitive effort in the second quarter, but Cardinia managed to adjust and continue to apply scoreboard pressure.
At half time, the focus was to improve ball movement and better adapt to the bouncy surface at Hedley Hull Field.
The second half saw Waverley score its only goal for the match, but that was a tiny blemish in a dominant performance for the Storm.
Eight different players found the back of the net, with star Taylor Rae leading the way with three goals.
Vice-captain Jean Blignaut (one goal) was best on ground, with special mentions to Rae, Johnston (one goal) and Hasantha Jasinarachchi (two goals) who were also impressive in the huge win.
Other individual goal scorers were captain Ben Quill, Peter Turner, Ayush Wahi and Adam Welcome.
A big win for the Men’s Metro 2 side helped them crack the top four as they smashed Croydon Ranges at home in Pakenham.
It was a complete performance for the side as they wore down their opposition across the game to win 7-1.
It was a slow start for the Storm, but by the second quarter, the side had started to find its groove and it was one-way traffic.
Ben Albrecht was a standout for Cardinia as he scored a hat-trick with some exceptional attacking plays, while many of the junior players contributed strongly.
Adam Welcome continued his strong weekend with two goals in the victory, as his attacking plays proved too much for the Croydon defence.
Captain Scott Burnett led from the front scoring one goal, while Zena Nicholas also made an impact on the scoreboard.
The Women’s Metro South 1 side sits third on the ladder after Round 7 after narrowly going down against Mornington Peninsula 2-1.
It was just the second loss for the women this season, but the Storm left everything out there on the field as they also celebrated another special occasion.
Club favourite Maddie Reincastle played her last game with Cardinia and will now move away due to work, but she was a standout performer in the loss.
Her ability to execute effective short passes helped facilitate quick transitions and fast breaks, giving the team some good looks.
Jennifer Fallu was named as the Storm’s best player as reward for her strong performance.
Mornington put the Cardinia defence under pressure but goalkeeper Jacqueline Kelly didn’t back down and produced many brilliant saves for her side.
Lauren Walsh was the sole goal scorer for the Storm as she capitalised on an opportunity to find the back of the net, but it wasn’t enough.
The women’s side will look to bounce back this weekend when they take on Glen Eira who has struggled so far this season.
