"The season starts in August."
That was a claim made by one of the University Whales players several weeks back, and that mantra seems to be the one they are working on, after drawing 2-2 with second-placed Kings United in the Dunedin premier men’s competition on Saturday.
Kings started the better side, and opened the scoring midway through the first quarter with a rare James Nation goal.
The former Black Stick-turned-Sport Otago chief executive was stationed for the left layoff with a clever little trick at the top from a penalty corner, freeing him up to sweep one right across the face into the bottom right corner.
Kings kept the pressure on, but several good saves from Hugh Nixon kept it at 1-0 — and that seemed to spur the Whales on.
Having offered very little all game, with eight to play in the third quarter, the students strung several passes together, eventually giving Benji Culhane a tap-in at the back post.
Uni’s influence on the game grew, and a weight of penalty corners eventually told. With less than 10 minutes to play, after a few close shaves, Jacob Bell-Kake was able to flick one through the pad of Lachlan Colquhoun to put the Whales into the lead.
It was a lead they did their best to defend, but a penalty corner on fulltime invited Charles Darling to drag flick, and he was only too obliging, sending it flying to the left of Nixon to ensure his side avoided defeat.
With shootout superhero Nixon in goal, the Whales were the favourites to claim the extra competition point, but Kings took it 1-0.
The other two premier men’s games were one-way traffic, as both the Taieri Tuataras and Albany Alligators chalked up big wins.
The Tuas went first, hammering Southland 10-0 to lock up the shield for the summer.
The Gators warmed up for their big knockout game next Saturday by putting nine past the University Panthers.
On another day, it could have been more, but more pleasing was their first clean sheet in many weeks, much to the delight of Albany keeper Ben Sinnamon.
In the women’s competition, the Taieri Tigers had their season ended by a sharp City Highlanders side, who won 3-0.
It has been a tough season for last year’s beaten finalists, and they were never really in it after conceding inside the first five minutes
Perhaps the bigger storyline of the day was Momona wrapping up second with an emphatic 8-1 win over the University Stingrays, eight separate players getting on the scoresheet.
That will please coach Hymie Gill as they warm up for a blockbuster showdown with City in the 1v2 game next weekend.
With their fate already decided by earlier results, there was little for Kings and the Huskies to play for, especially as they knew they would be meeting in the 3v4 game.
The Huskies were perhaps more up for it, sneaking a 1-0 win.
— Nicholas Friedlander
