Diamonds Keep Finals Hopes Alive

The WA Diamonds have kept some hope alive of progressing to the 2011 AHL final after defeating the number one ranked team Victoria 1-0 tonight in Darwin.

The Diamonds will now need to defeat the winless NT Pearls, hope that Victoria can defeat the OAMPS Southern Suns and then rely on goal difference to finish on top of Pool A and qualify for the final on Saturday.

The win was a great response by the Diamonds after they went down 3-2 yesterday to the Suns after the conceding the winning goal in the last 30 seconds of the match.

Eager to make a statement, WA scored early thanks to Hockeyroos striker Ashleigh Nelson and continued to control the play in the early stages of the half.

The Vipers, who finished on top of the points table at the end of the round matches and are the team many consider to be the favourites to win the title, eventually found their rhythm and worked back into the game. Despite Victoria coming close of several occasions to find an equaliser the Diamonds were able to maintain their lead heading into the half time break.

Renee Trost and Georgia Nanascawen continued to lift the Vipers after half time and again came close to scoring when a pass from Tegan Purser into Stephanie Riordan in the circle was deflected and beat the goalkeeper, but sailed just wide of the goal.

WA once again remained the momentum and had several penalty corner attempts, but thanks to the work of Victorian goalkeeper Rachael Lynch each attempt was denied.

The Vipers tried desperately to find an equalising goal and received their last chance from a penalty corner as the final play of the day, but the hit went above the backboard and didn’t register a goal, with all eyes now turned to the matches on Friday to see who will progress to the final.

– Hockey Australia