2023 Season Round Up

The ABC Premier 1 Women’s Hockey Team has just completed another season, and while we faced some challenges in terms of results, there are numerous positive aspects to highlight, both on and off the field. Our team displayed exceptional skills and dedication throughout the season, often outplaying our opponents on every aspect other than the

scoreboard.

In the Intercity competition, our team showed resilience and determination, finishing a commendable 5th place, narrowly missing out on the playoff spots. Throughout the season, we consistently created goal-scoring opportunities, demonstrating our attacking prowess and the potential to secure higher rankings. Despite our efforts, we faced a tough challenge in the North Harbour competition, creating chances but eventually losing the semifinal.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this season has been the recognition we received from multiple opponent coaches and spectators. They have praised the unique style and structure of our gameplay, which sets us apart in the hockey community. This acknowledgment underlines the creativity and innovation within our team. We are also privileged to have an exciting group of players both currently in the squad as well as coming through the age groups. This season has provided a platform for our players to grow, learn, and develop their skills further and we look forward to seeing what the future of thePremier 1 Women’s Team can achieve.

Notable achievements from the squad include Paige Blake earning her first New Zealand Women’s Black Sticks cap in April this year. Casey Crowley and Hope Ralph also continued to earn selection into the national side for the Pro League and Olympic Qualifiers in recent months.

A special thanks goes out to our dedicated coaches, James Coughlan and Paul McGoon. Their unwavering support, knowledge, and commitment have been instrumental in our trainings and games. We are immensely grateful for the incredible guidance they provide, and their contributions are essential to our continued success.

In conclusion, while the season presented its share of challenges, it has also allowed us to showcase our strengths and potential. With our outstanding players, supportive coaching staff, and a positive outlook, we are confident that brighter days and more successful seasons are ahead for the ABC Premier 1 Women’s Hockey Team.

2022 Season Round Up

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2022 has been a great season for the ABC Premier Women’s team - not only because it was the first uninterrupted competition that we have had in two years - but because it was another comprehensive showing of the strong, innovative and exciting style of play that our young side has been developing over the last while.

With the world opening back up again and international hockey making its comeback, we knew that we would have to rely on the depth of our squad and P2 side in order to accommodate for our Sistar’s who were overseas on representative duty. It is safe to say that we were never ‘found wanting’ on game day, and that is testament to the great club culture and depth of talent that we have here at ABC.

Some highlights of our season included:

• Top 5 finish in the North Harbour/Auckland Intercity competition.

• Top 4 finish in the North Harbour finals, placing 2nd after round robin.

• A 2-1 win vs. HDF early on in the season.

• A spectacular win against HowickPak at LEP, 5-0.

• Having 2/3 of the top goal scorers in the Intercity competition - Tonya Bothwerway on 17 and Kirsten Pearce on 15.

The season that we have had - along with the fun we have had along the way - would not have been possible without the dedication of our coaches, Jimmy and Paul, as well as our manager extraordinaire, Naveena. We would also like to thank everyone who works tirelessly behind the scenes at ABC HQ - the support that all teams receive as a result of your efforts gives us the freedom to perform and be the best that we can be.

While the season may not have ended the way that we had hoped, we have been able to take away a lot of learnings. Having played in the 2020 and 2021 North Harbour and Intercity finals, we know just how much our team is capable of - and we are already buzzing as we look forward to next year.

Bring on 2023! #ABCRevolution

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2020 Season Round Up

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2020 - what a year. For the ABC Prem Women’s team, for hockey, and for the world! 

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Despite all of the complications, overall it was a hugely successful year for us. We were able to build on 2019, play some fantastic hockey together, and achieve some massive, historical results. 

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What feels like a million years ago, we started the season with a bang: 14th March, opening weekend. First game up vs. NSU, saw a 4-1 win and on Sunday vs. Mahu an 8-1 win. With all of the youth in the team, a double-header was no problem. 

2 good wins under our belt … enter lockdown … 

After a bubble training - which saw a fair few miss-traps and swings and misses - we were up against the toughest team in the competition for our first game back. 13 weeks later we faced off against Somerville, after moving from Auckland Grammar turf (due to watering issues) we played at Dio, and lost 7-0. What a welcome back to the sport we all love. 

But we soldiered on and trained hard to claw our way back into the Intercity Competition. We finished up in 2nd place - a record result for the Prem Women. Some highlights included: 

• An epic 2-1 win in the last 7 minutes against Howick Pak 

• The craziest 4-3 comeback win against Southern after being 3-0 down in the first quarter

• A 2-2 draw against ECB which saw us hit the post at least 500 times 

• A nail-biting 4-2 win against HDF, which saw us score in the 13th, 14th, and 17th minutes

• A 7-0 win against Roskill Eden

After missing out on top 6 last year, it was great to be back in the mix. On the 8th of August we played ECB first up in a fiery and passionate game. A tight 4-3 win thanks to a goal in the last 2 minutes of the game. What a way to make our mark on the top 6 competition - we had really started to build momentum! 

Enter lockdown 2.0 …. 

After a fair few revisions to the draw, 10 person bubble trainings … we were ready to play again after 7 weeks off. The top 6 was split into 2 pools and our first game back was essentially a Semi-Final, which saw us beat Howick Pak 5-1.

For the first time in history the ABC Prem Women’s team was playing in an Intercity final. What a show we put on against Somerville for the crowd at LEP! A goal in the first quarter from a special PC saw us go up 1-0 early. We fought hard in the first half, with some brilliant attacks and a huge defensive effort. Unfortunately Somerville slipped one past us just after half time and after an end to end game, the scoreline remained the same. This meant we had to go to shoot outs, and after a tense first round, we narrowly lost in sudden death shoot outs. An exceptional effort from every single player on the pitch. The team, coaches, and spectators were immensely proud of the performance. 

However, after such a fantastic game, the season was not over! We still had the Harbour Competition to play for. The usual mid-week game took place against Takapuna, who we’ve come up against a number of times in this exact scenario. We were raring to go, eager to take that superb form from the previous weekend and book a spot in the Harbour Grand Final. Another special PC saw us go up 1-0 in the beginning of the 2nd quarter. Some hefty defensive brick walls were put up and we managed to keep them out. Taka subbed their keeper in the last 10 minutes and we were able to slot another 2 goals in the last quarter. A 3-0 win and a chance to take on HDF in the final - which we hadn’t done since 2016! 

17th October, the latest hockey game we’ve ever played! Harbour Grand Final vs HDF - a tough loss for the team. A PC goal scored in the first 14 minutes of the game saw HDF in the lead early. Some really positive plays throughout the game, but we just couldn’t manage to find the back of the net. HDF scored again fro a PC just after half time and slotted a third and final goal 10 minutes later. Was a bit of a bummer to finish on a loss, but we put it all out on the pitch and played with heart. The end of a long and tumultuous 2020 hockey season! 

Last but definitely not least, we were super excited to welcome Maddie Fleming, Emilie Logan, Morgan Clayton, and India Ralph to the siSTARhood. It’s always special having new recruits who add a tonne of value on and off the field. Through a turn of unfortunate events we were also lucky enough to have the squad (Liv Crum, Holly Pearson, Mischa Tattley, Poppy Porter, Teegan Hager, Tonya Botherway, Marijke McGoon, Kelsey Lomas, Hope Ralph, Kathryn Travis, Madee Forbes, Olivia Shannon, and Casey Crowley) play together for the whole season - usually quite a rarity for the Prem Women! And of course all would not be possible without a strong and magnificent management team: Paul McGoon, Erin Weber, and Naveena Hira. 

A season we won’t forget, for a number of reasons - but we’re already buzzin’ for 2021! 

• Naveena Hira

2019 Season Round Up

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The 2019 ABC siSTARs started the season with great hype and excitement, with a group of young and talented new players joining the siSTARhood. Playing a structure, we used last year was always going to be challenging with the new players and we faced a number of personnel tests.

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The biggest was the loss of a number of our key players throughout the season which left a big gap on the field. Holly Pearson, Hope Ralph and Olivia Shannon had Black Sticks commitments (so proud), Tonya Botherway returned to the USA to play college hockey and Naveena Hira, Amy Barrett and Olivia Hay were side-lined due to injuries. We were however lucky enough to pick up the very handy Casey Crowley mid-season who immediately fitted in to the squad. It was also pleasing to see the P2 players step up throughout the season, especially when needed to help rebuild the strength of the side.

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Despite the challenges and not making top six in the Intercity competition, our girls were successful in making top four in the North Harbour competition - narrowly losing to HDF in sudden death of the shootout.

We really started to come together and play some brilliant hockey towards the end of the season - showing the other clubs the heart the ABC siSTARs have and giving them a taste of what is to come next year. As a coaching team, we could not be prouder of this group of girls for continuing to improve and playing with pride throughout the whole season.

We would like to give Raewyn, our loyal manager of well over 10 years, a special mention – thank you Raewyn for keeping the Bees buzzing and making sure everyone was always well cared for and informed.

We could not have survived the season without each other’s expertise, advice and guidance on and off the pitch. We are grateful to have been able to lead this team as a duo, creating a fantastic friendship along the way and we very much look forward to next year!

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