TEM Weekly Review #15

Mens Vic League 1 - The TEM Vic League 1 men took on another challenge this week heading down the freeway to face 4th placed Casey. The boys stared strongly, scoring an early goal through a well-executed corner, with Gus Gillespie getting the last touch. Casey were able to score a field goal midway through the first half and a late corner goal on the stroke of half time which meant they led 2-1 at the break. The game was in the balance for most of the second half with TEM unable to convert their chances. Casey managed to execute a well place corner flick late in the game and make it 3-1. 

Mens Vic League 1 Reserves – In what felt like playing in the Arctic the Reserves were looking to bounce back from a rare loss previously against a formidable Casey team at 5pm on Saturday. International imports George Hurley and Braden Pitcher were sure to bolster the team.

The first half started brightly with the majority of play being dominated by the Reserves, peppering Casey's goal as often as Hugh Mclaughlin was self-name dropping at the trivia night hours later. The breakthrough came with a quick fire double from Charlie Blanchard and George Hurley. Casey were mostly looking to get a goal through a breakaway/quick counter attack however defensively TEM looked comfortable in keeping them out.

The second half was played in a similar fashion to the first, and apart from a few counters TEM maintained control, with a second goal ensuring a brace to Charlie Blanchard, and with another to young gun Oli Ritman making it 4 goals to TEM. The boys unluckily conceded a late penalty to finish as 4-1. A good win to build on with only a few rounds to go.

Mens Pennant A - Pennant A ventured across the West Gate for a tough match against top placed Footscray. Having won convincingly in the last match against them, TEM were keen to rattle their egos. A win would have the boys cement a position in the top four and deliver Footscray's third loss of the season. 

Unfortunately, what pursued was a hard fought game with TEM ultimately going down 1-0 to a late corner flick. Footscray walked away maintaining their top position and ridiculous winning streak. Still maintaining P4 with a slim two point margin over Camberwell Pennant A look to find a win against bottom placed Waverley at the State Hockey centre next Sunday afternoon.

Mens Metro Red – Metro Red, in an important match to determine top 4 positions, took on second bottom placed MCC. It turned out to be a one-sided affair, with Andrew Rainer getting a hat trick, giving him 7 goals in 3 matches. Tim Stewart also scored a double, while TEM ran out winners 7-0.

Mens Masters - TEM 35A team had a good 5-2 win against 2nd on the ladder Hawthorn and have moved up to 7th place. The TEM 35B lost 1-2 to Hawthorn and have now just moved out of the four by only 2 points. TEM 45D Men’s Masters team had a 4-0 win against high on the ladder Hawthorn and remain top of ladder 13 points ahead of 2nd place, while the TEM 50B Men won  4-1 against Camberwell and remain in 3rd place on the ladder.

Womens Premier League – Round 18 saw the TEM Premier League women take on top of the table Greensborough. Both teams created opportunities in the first half, with Sarah Tulloch scoring the first goal for TEM, giving them a 1-0 lead at half time. Greensborough came out strong in the second half, stretching TEM and creating scoring opportunities. Bridgette Allen made many excellent saves. Unfortunately Greensborough put away 3 goals in the second half. The girls fought back earning themselves a penalty corner and converting through Fran Flores. The final score 3-2 to Greensborough, and TEM sadly say goodbye to defender Sam Wagg who heads back to America. 

Womens Premier League Reserves – A very cold and windy day out for the young and fast legged Reserves at Greensborough, but the girls couldn't match the slick Greensborough team. TEM were under a lot of pressure in the defensive 25, but with Therese McArthur in the goals continuously making great saves she was easily the 2XU Hi-Performance player of the day. With a half time score of 3-0, TEM came out determined for a fresh second half and the team managed to do that, making better decisions and linking passes better for a final score of 4-0. 

Womens Pennant A - TEM Pennant A had a solid game on Sunday. Up against 5th seed Camberwell, TEM came fast out of the blocks and made the most out of a solid bench, regularly refreshing the legs on the field. Smart game play by young Enya Talbot was a welcome addition to the side; her savvy game mindset helped to get the ball up the middle on more than one occasion. Solid second and third efforts by Dannii Seiwaa and Caeli Bussell put plenty of pressure on Camberwell right throughout the game. A misjudged pass around the back was intercepted by Camberwell and they converted to take the lead 1-0, and then snuck a couple more in the net. TEM’s managed to convert an average penalty corner into a point but it wasn’t enough to secure any much-needed points for the leader board. 3-1 was the final score.

Womens Pennant C - WPC were looking for another win on the weekend against bottom placed Footscray. Starting off well with an early goal by Karen Hodges saw TEM 1-0 for the majority of the match. Unable to increase the margin, unfortunately the concentration lapsed and Footscray were hungry making the final score 1-1. A bit disappointing but the WPC ladder is tight from 4th-6th position with only one point and goal difference in it.

Womens Metro Red – Women’s Metro Red ventured to Mentone on a very cold 5pm Saturday to tackle St Bede’s who were placed 2 points above TEM on the ladder.  With the support of acting coach Tony Dudley and goalie Angie Ngo TEM took to the field and got the first score on the board following some great passing and field play.  As the skies darkened St Bede’s scored once, twice and three times.  TEM were exposed to some wet weather and strong attack on and off the field, but can be proud to have maintained their strong positive TEM culture and composure.  Disappointed to have lost 3-1, the girls were pleased to be heading out for more the more pleasant time of the TEM club trivia night and thrilled to discover that the Metro Blues won. 

Womens Metro Blue – Metro Blue had another successful round, updating their winning streak to four wins in a row. A freezing 5pm Sunday game was most welcomed, given the amount of running involved in the game. From the get go TEMs outlook was positive and the intensity strong. The girls made good use of the width and depth of the field to create space, finding particular success with two-on-one short passes.

Waverley had several shots and near misses from inside the D and short corners, but were unable to pass TEM defence and strong keeping by Palma Casonato. The marking of players was tight, even when the ball was on the field's opposite side.

TEM were strong in attack, always jumping at the chances when the ball was in the circle. The girl’s tenacity overpowered Waverley, resulting in two goals in the first half, netted by Bailey Ryan and Fiona Troise.

Throughout the second half, Waverley's frustration at the score was evident, resulting intougher plays and increased urgency. However TEM kept their cool by continuing to play smart, fair hockey, ultimately keeping the score 2-0 and convincing singing the TEM theme song through the intermittent sniffles of noses on a very cold Sunday night.

Womens Masters - Last week TEM Women’s Masters played Mentone Gold 2. It was nice to have Palma Casonato playing in goal for TEM this game. Sadly TEM went down 2-1. The goal was scored by Karen “Jonesy” Jones off a short corner. Currently the women are sitting 6th on the ladder so the next couple of games will be important for TEM to reach finals.