Round 1 lost to GNS 0-1
A tough first round opponent and in the end only the 1 goal separated the teams. Gordon took the lead mid way through the first half after a move down the right side of the field & the shot squeezed past Adam B in goals. The second half was a much between team performance and despite creating a number of goal scoring chances the equaliser never came. We ended the game down to 10 players after Adam J was struck in the head with a deflected ball. Well played Scott & Adam in defence & Brodie in his first game for ND, Ice Cup award went to Caitlin.
Round 2 lost to Baulkham Hills 0-1
Against a strong Baulko team, this turned into a very even game & in the end a turn over just outside the defensive circle allowed Baulko the chance they needed. A quick, sharp shot was enough for them to score. ND created enough chances to get a better result from the game & was unlucky not to at least share the points.
Round 3 lost to Manly 1-2
We went into the game against Manly looking to post our first win of the season. In a close even game, Manly took the lead during the first half from open play; we came close to scoring of a penalty corner & Adam H also nearly scoring. One of the highlights of the first half was a sliding tackle from goalie Adam H to take the ball from the attacking forward. During the second half we continually pushed forward looking for an equaliser, but due to a lapse in concentration in defence, Manly made it 2-0 from a free hit dribbled into the circle for a free shot on goal. With 6 minutes left we opened our scoring account for the season with a goal to Jackson. A tense last few minutes ensued as ND pushed forward, Jackson had one more chance to grab an equaliser in the last minute, but the Manly keeper as he had done all game made the important save. Good games to Scott, Holly & Joseph. Ice Cup award went to Joseph.
Round 4 defeated Briars 1-0
With the addition of some new players we took on newly promoted Briars, unsure of how strong they would be. In what proved a close & tense game, Briars came at us strong & put pressure on the defence on numerous occasions with Adam B, Adam J, Linda & Callum keeping the ball out of the goals. In attack Cassy, Brodie & Adam H came close to scoring with chances just going wide, 0-0 at half time in an even contest. The second was much the same as the first & the result could have gone either way. A smart and cross from the right wing by Brodie allowed Adam H to sweep the ball past the keeper for a 1-0 lead. Shortly after it looked likely to be a second goal when Isaac round the last defender and as he readied to shoot slipped. The last 15 minutes was tense & both teams had chances to score more goals, but 1-0 it stayed for the teams first win of the season. Well done to Callum, Patrick, Isaac & Jackson B for their first game with the team, Ice Cup award went to Jackson B for his strong play and marking at left half.
Round 5 defeated Ryde 2-1
A slow start to the game saw Ryde pressing for a goal early, but some good saves by Adam B kept them out, while at the other end near misses from Isaac, Brodie, Cassie & Adam H couldn’t get ND on the board. Somewhat against the run of play Ryde scored & went into halftime leading 1-0. Some positional changes at half time & discussions about positional play brought more attack and better defence from the team & the pressure eventually told on Ryde when Adam H scored to level at 1-1. Brodie again came close to scoring only to be denied by the Ryde keeper. But the team wasn’t to be denied & Saskia scored from right half with a run from the 25 to place the shot into the goal making it 2-1 and wins 2 weeks in a row. Good games to Scott, Linda, Callum, Joseph & Cassie. Ice Cup award went to Saskia.
Round 6 drew with Manly 0-0
A close even game that ended in a draw to continue the steady improvement to the start of the year results. Some good constructive passing by the team was pleasing based on what we had done at training. Overall well done to the team with strong games in attack from Patrick, Brodie, Joseph & Jackson created chances & Linda steady at centre half. Ice Cup awards went to Adam J & Holly for keeping the Manly attack quiet.
Round 7 – Bye
Round 8 defeated Sydney Uni 3-0
Good solid win with the team scoring 3 goals. Well done to Patrick and Isaac scoring their first goals of the season and the other one scored by Jackson T. Ice Cup awards went to Isaac & Patrick.
Round 9 lost to Baulkham Hills 0-4
With some players out due to injury, illness or holidays the team started slowly and couldn’t find any rhythm. We couldn’t retain possession and this resulted in Baulko scoring the first goal. A second came from a penalty corner which was nearly saved on the line by Scott. As the half ended Baulko made it 3 and it looked like a tough road back in the second half. The team performed much better in the second half only conceding a single goal, while creating several chances at the other end. Ice Cup awards went to Jackson T & Brodie.
Round 10 lost to Gordon 0-4
The team started well and created some chances on goal early in the game. After an even first 15 minutes Gordon scored the first of the 2 first half goals. The second half started with heavy rain making play difficult. Despite the weather the team again created chances and some good shots on goal by Brodie and Patrick were saved by Gordon. Gordon maintained pressure on our defence and despite the efforts of Holly, Adam J, Jackson B, Callum & Adam B they eventually scored 2 more goals. With a few players out this week we only had 1 reserve and the team tried hard all game but eventually ran out of energy. Jackson & Linda ran hard & played well trying to set up play in the midfield. Ice Cup awards went to Linda & Patrick.
Round 11 – Bye