Penalty shootout pips the Sharks
GEELONG fell at the final hurdle in its quest for the Vic League 1 state hockey title yesterday, losing 4-2 to Yarra Valley in a penalty shootout.
Scores were locked at 2-2 at full time at the State Hockey Centre after the Sharks twice fought back from behind.
Ill-discipline proved costly in the first half, with three players handed yellow cards and one a green card.
Yarra Valley’s first goal came in the 23rd minute, with Geelong down two players after Greg Hutchison (yellow) and Sean Fitzgerald (green) were off the pitch.
Geelong again had to battle two players short late in the first half when Gus McKinnon (33 minutes) and Liam Kerr-Nelson (35 minutes) also received yellow cards.
Despite that, the Sharks were always in the game.
Kerr-Nelson pulled back the first goal through a penalty corner and they stayed vibrant despite going into half-time 2-1 down after Tom Meaden scored a field goal for Yarra Valley.
Despite the first-half struggles, Geelong, as has been the case for much of the season, dominated the second half but could not hit the scoreboard.
A rev-up by captain Jack Chadwick at three-quarter time sparked a huge response and the Sharks eventually drew level when Kerr-Nelson got on the end of a brilliant pass from Greg Hutchison into the circle that left the Yarra Valley goalkeeper stranded.
Unfortunately, it could not carry the fightback into the shootout, missing two of the first three attempts.
Geelong keeper Sam Stoneley, the Sharks’ best on the day, saved Yarra’s fourth shot and initially blocked the fifth attempt from Cameron Willis before being beaten on a follow-up within the eightsecond time limit.
As well as Stoneley, Zed Armistead and Max Ferrier, who was later acknowledged as the competition’s leading scorer of the season (16 goals) were Geelong’s best.
Coach Paul Schram was disappointed by the loss but buoyed by what the future held after an outstanding season.
“We were a little bit sloppy with some of our tackling which obviously we paid the price for, but that was all in the first half,’’ Schram said.
“But we came out and really dominated the second half.
“We just pressed and pressed and pressed and they were panicking and just hanging on.’’
Geelong is determined to push its case to play in Premier League.
“This is just the beginning,’’ Schram said of the future of the game at state level.