Two Strikers teams into finals
The final round of Hockey Victoria's juniors saw semi finals on the line for multiple West Gippsland Strikers teams, with two of them making it through.
Under 14 boys
Strikers 4 def Mentone 2
Goals: Strikers: Jaya Lepke 2, Malachi Lang, Oliver Fallon. Mentone: Azad Singh Badesha, Cooper Leonard.
The under 14 Boys capped off a season of rapid improvement by knocking Mentone out of finals contention.
After Mentone opened the scoring 10 minutes in, Malachi Lang equalised at the post before Ollie Fallon secured a 2-1 half time lead.
Mentone pressed hard after the break, but defenders Rick Jan Hendrik Swanepoel and Charlie Hotchkin, alongside goalkeeper Will Mitchell, held firm.
Dominance from Steven McNamara and Ben Tepper in midfield allowed Jaya Lepke to slot two second-half goals.
A late Mentone consolation goal wasn't enough to stop the Strikers from taking a deserved 4–2 victory.
Under 16 girls
Strikers 0 drew Southern United 0
The under 16 Girls wrapped up their season with a hard-fought scoreless draw against Southern United.
Goalie Liv West denied an early Southern short corner, while strong teamwork from Isla Ronalds, Rachel McCracken, and Charlotte Pennycuick kept the pressure on.
The second half mirrored the first, featuring another early Southern short corner and a near-miss from Striker Georgia Hazell. It was an exhausting, brilliant team effort to secure the point.
Under 16 boys
Strikers 7 def Camberwell (2) 1
Goals: Strikers: Seth Christy 3, Flynn Furphy, Jacob Mock, Tyler Boltong. Camberwell (2): Tamnais Opray-Darlow.
The under 16 boys locked in a home semi-final after recovering from a shaky start to dominate Camberwell (2).
After conceding a soft goal in the opening five minutes, the Strikers found their groove and converted two penalty corners to lead at the break.
Camberwell (2) threatened with breakaways but ran out of steam in the second half.
The Strikers ran away with a 7–1 victory, featuring goals from Seth Christy, Flynn Furphy, Jacob Mock and Tyler Boltong.
Under 18 mixed
Strikers 1 def by Frankston 2
Goals: Strikers: Ronan North. Frankston: Kobi Hull, Archie Frew.
The under 18s missed out on a home semi final after a narrow loss to Frankston, setting up a rematch on enemy territory this week.
Frankston struck early, but Ronan North quickly equalised following a spectacular half-field sprint.
A late first-half goal gave Frankston a 2-1 cushion at the main break.
Led by Monique McAskill, the Strikers' defence kept Frankston scoreless in the second half, but the attack could not break through.
The team now resets at training to try reverse the result on Friday night.
