Mbuso Mgobozi and Chad Carney celebrating a great victory!
After downing Pretoria giants Affies last week, Westville’s First Team Hockey continued their good form on Wednesday night against Highways rivals, Kearsney up at Kearsney in the Night League series.
The game was played at a furious pace and moved from one end of the Astro to the other. Both teams creating many chances but Westville proved more clinical to win the match by 3 goals to one.
Both teams started the game at a high tempo but both looked nervous and uneasy. Kearsney created a chance very early on but lacked the final finishing touches and failed to score. Both teams then settled their nerves and found their rhythm. With Westville pressing hard, they eventually created a chance just before the end of the first Chukka. Mbuso Mgobozi showed some brilliant individual stick work to set up Chad Carney who slid the ball under the advancing Kearsney goal keeper . This allowed Westville to go into the first break 1-0 ahead.
Westville started the second chukka far more focused than their rivals. Good team work created an early chance which was capitalized on by Chad Carney who bulldozed his way through several defenders from the baseline infield and rounded off his run with a well struck shot into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
Almost immediately afterwards, following a good build up of play and with Westville wining the one on one , Matthew Davies finished well lobbing the ball over the Kearsney goalkeeper. Both teams then created more chances to score but neither managed to capitalise on their opportunities .The second chukka ended 3-0 in Westville’s favour.
Westville started the third chukka stronger than Kearsney winning the one on one situations but poor finishing left the scores at 3-0. Kearsney capitalised on this and put Westville under plenty of early pressure. This eventually paid off when a good attack down the baseline from the home team allowed Kearsney’s Captain Matthew Butler, to round Westville’s keeper and slide the ball into the back of the net.
Westville created one more good chance but after beating the keeper, debutant Keegan Gibbon hit the ball wide of goal. Kearsney then did most of the attacking for the rest of the chukka creating several good opportunities to score but failed to finish effectively.
The game finished 3-1 to Westville .
The rivals are meeting again in a couple of weeks at the Westville Astro for the return match in the Night League . The game promises to be a cracker.
Westville’s Goal Scorers: Chad Carney (2), Matthew Davies(1)