Steel's 1000th goal within grasp

The Southern Steel has a good chance of reaching 1000 goals for the season tonight.

It needs to score just 53 against the Mainland Tactix in Christchurch to chalk up the milestone.

For a team that has scored 72.8 goals per game, including 90 in the early season match between the two sides, that would seem likely.

It would be just the latest achievement in a season of impressive statistics.

Numbers never tell the whole story, but they can help put dominance in context.

It has been 324 days since the team has lost a game, on July 24 last year, and it has now won 13 in a row.

In those 13 wins it has now scored more than 70 goals eight times, 80 three times and 90 once.

It has scored 947 all up, with 715 against, making for a goal difference of 232.

The next best goal difference is the Northern Mystics', who have one of +38.

They have also scored the second-most goals, with 832, 115 fewer than the Steel.

Defensively the Steel rates reasonably well, with only the Central Pulse having been scored against less, with 645 goals.

However, when the Steel plays at the pace it does, it can only be expected it will concede a few more.

That pace was best seen when the Steel scored 90 against the Tactix.

In that game, Jhaniele Fowler-Reid broke the team's all time record by managing 70 herself. It was one of four times this year she has scored 60 or more.

In total she has 683 goals from 746 attempts, shooting at 92%.

That total sees her 114 goals ahead of the second-placed Lenzie Potgieter, and more than the Pulse, Tactix and Northern Stars have scored as teams.

However, Fowler-Reid's shooting percentage is deceiving.

She has missed 63 shots this season, but has also got 63 rebounds. While not all of those were from her own shots, the majority were.

That means that even when she misses, she normally recovers to score.

She is not the only one to feature highly on the individual charts.

Goal keep Jane Watson, with 80 deflections and 35 intercepts is second, behind the Mystics' Anna Harrison, in both categories.

Wing attack Gina Crampton has 334 centre pass receptions, also second, while goal attack Te Paea Selby-Rickit is fifth with 253.

Selby-Rickit has scored 217 goals herself, ranking eighth in the premiership.

On top of that, no-one from the Steel features in the top 10 for most penalties conceded.

But perhaps the most important number now is that it is 14 days until it hosts the final.

At that point all the others become irrelevant and it will be what happens on that day that will ultimately determine the success of the season.

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