Thanks to Ross Douglas, Heretaunga 1st XI coach for this report.
The Heretaunga College and Upper Hutt College girls First XI football teams played out a hard-fought 0-0 draw on Wednesday at Heretaunga College. As the final score line suggests, it was an extremely tight, tense game, played in true local derby fashion.
Defences dominated for both teams, and both keepers were solid, keeping clean sheets without too much trouble. The mid-fields cancelled each other out, perhaps with the players’ familiarity with each other ensuring that attacks were quickly shut down.
For Heretaunga, centre backs Paige Redmond and Rachel Gordon played very well, Mikaela Beynon-Hunt and Ashleigh Williams were industrious in the midfield, and Emma Lavery’s speed meant she was a constant threat up front.
The win leaves Heretaunga guaranteed a place in Premier Regional 2, with a chance to make Regional 1 if they can upset the strong Hutt Valley High School team this week.
The teams will meet again in the inter-school Traditional later this month in what promises to be another tight encounter.
You can check out the photos in our Gallery. Thanks to Rosa Stewart for the photos.