McCarthy's junior girls hockey side have again proven themselves top of the class, edging out Port Macquarie's Mackillop College 1-nil to be crowned NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) champions for the second year in a row.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ashlee Kampe was the hero for the Geoff Denton-coached side, scoring off a tap-in with two minutes on the clock to make it four titles in five years in the division for McCarthy.
Denton said it was a "wonderful team effort" from the side.
"They just stuck at it and they worked really well together," he said.
That was complimented by some fantastic and desperate defence with the side again not conceding a goal for the carnival.
This time round though they didn't have a state keeper in goals. In fact at the start of the year they didn't even have a goalkeeper.
"At the end of first term I asked our school soccer coach who one of their good players were," Denton explained.
"Usually soccer players have fairly good ability with their feet and are usually used to using the instep of their feet."
READ ALSO:
The coach suggested Erin Allan, so Denton approached her and asked her whether she would be interested in keeping for them.
Fortunately she was, Allan actually suiting up for them in the local competition as well.
Incidentally, her older sister Grace played goalie when they won five years ago. She had played a bit of hockey before then though, Denton pointed out.
After opening their campaign with a "messy" 1-nil win over their finals combatants on the grass (all of their pool games were on grass), McCarthy posted convincing wins in their next two games to top their pool.
They carried on from that in their semi-final, thrashing Monte Saint' Angelo Mercy College, North Sydney 8-nil. Abby Wakely, who was one of eight players backing up from last year's victorious side, led the onslaught with four goals.
The final was a much tighter tussle, although Denton thought they probably had the better of the chances and pressure but they just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net.
Hence he was starting to contemplate tactics for extra-time when Kampe slotted the match-winner.
The open girls and boys sides were meanwhile both hopelessly unlucky.
The open boys were pipped for a spot in the final on goal difference after recording four wins and a draw from their pool games while the girls just missed out on the semi-finals after picking up three wins and a loss and finishing second in their pool (only the top team progressed).
