One win needed to avoid relegation
Kapiti’s top women’s hockey team need one win from their remaining matches to secure their premier 1 status for next season.
They played out a goalless draw with Toa at Kapiti Sports Turf on Saturday, earning their first point of the season in the process.
The result means Kapiti finished bottom of the round-robin table.
Before the season ends they need one win to avoid relegation to premier 2. Their first postseason game is against the fifthplaced side, Indians, on Saturday.
If they lose that game, they will face the loser of the clash between Karori and Toa, the sixth and seventh-placed sides. Lose that, and they face a promotionrelegation match against the top team from P2.
In their first season in the P1 grade for more than 20 years, Kapiti are yet to win a game.
Despite getting their first point, Coach Paul Tessier said he was disappointed with his team’s performance, compared to their 3-2 defeat to Victoria University the weekend before.
‘‘If we played as well as we had the previous weekend, we’d have had an easy win.
‘‘It was good in spots, but our finishing let us down.’’
Toa played the game with no substitutes, and Kapiti with four. Tessier said his side didn’t make their numerical advantage count, in part because about half a dozen of his players are getting over a bout of flu.
Jenny Bromley won Kapiti’s player of the day for her performance on the left side of midfield.
This weekend’s game will go to a penalty shootout, using the eight-second rule, if scores are level at full time.
Tessier said his side can win, but only if they play to their potential.
He said his team needed to be aware of Indians’ ‘‘off-the-cuff’’ brand of hockey.
‘‘We’re going to have to be very strong in the way we play defence.’’
Despite Saturday’s blip, he said his side deserved to be in P1 next year, as performances have generally improved through the season.
Indians prepared for this weekend’s match with a 2-2 draw against Victoria. They have not won a match since a 3-2 success against Karori on June 19.
Teams from Dalefield sealed both the men’s and women’s P1 round-robin competitions on Saturday.