Win and loss for Nelson on day one
Nelson have made a competitive start to their national under-13 girls’ Collier Trophy hockey campaign in Tauranga.
Having opened with a 2-0 loss to North Harbour in pool C on Monday, Nelson followed up that effort with a decisive 3-0 win over Mid Canterbury heading into day two.
Nelson had started positively against Harbour but despite attacking for the first 10 minutes, were unable to penetrate the circle.
With the turf suffering flooding before the game Nelson struggled to gain an advantage. North Harbour took control midway through the first half and held the ball for long periods, requiring Jemma Mead and defensive backs Kate Bryant, Tegan Jessop and Scarlett Neame to work tirelessly until Harbour finally scored for a 1-0 halftime lead.
Nelson created some attacking opportunities in the second half before Harbour again took control and scored off a late penalty corner. Goalie Jemma Mead was outstanding for Nelson alongside Chloe Dickin and Kate Bryant.
Nelson focused on their attack against Mid Canterbury as forwards Lauren Dickin, Kate Sturm, Samantha Harman and Nikita Hahn created plenty of attacking opportunities.
Pene Taulafo had opened the scoring from an early penalty corner to put Nelson ahead 1-0, Taulafo later converting another penalty corner for a 2-0 halftime lead.
Nelson encountered a much tougher Mid Canterbury team after the restart and after long periods of attack and missed opportunities, Izzy Thurlow converted a field goal to complete the scoring. Standouts for Nelson were midfielders Georgia Iorns, Ruby Campbell and Taulafo.