| Waikato finished 2nd in their pool to reach the quarterfinals. by Vaughan Hilton 17 July 2003 |
NZ U15 National Tournament
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| They played superbly against Otago and dominated large patches of play. | |
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Poor shot selection and finishing in and around the circle cost Waikato a chance to make the top four as they went down to a polished but beatable Otago side 1-2. Piers Finch, Ben Tanner and Stuart Pita played well on the left and created plenty of opportunities. Gareth Nuzum and William Dobson were the standout Waikato players and were solid in defence but unfortunately the pre tournament PC conversions went on holiday and Waikato lament a series of missed opportunities. In other matches, Northland (surprise winners over Nth Harbour yesterday) lost to Wellington 7-5 after penalty strokes. TheWellington goalie Alex Schroder was outstanding with two saves during the shootout. Jaime Coombes and Isaac Wilson played superbly in defence for Wellington, whilst Blair Hilton and David van der Burg always looked dangerous for the Wellington attack. Manawatu (who ealier beat Waikato 3-1 in pool play) lost toCanterbury 2-0 to match Wellington with Canterbury in one Semi Final and Auckland distpatched a polished Hawkes Bay team 3-1 to book a semi final place against Otago. Waikato now face Hawkes Bay and Manawatu play Northland.Hope to send another report after the playoffs today, but internet cafe's are few and far between in the Mount. |
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