The netball team hosted local rivals, Xaverian Sixth Form College, on Wednesday afternoon. The game was a close contest throughout, with Xaverian pushing Loreto all the way.
The first half of the game was a close and physical contest, with Loreto only just ahead after the first and second quarters. Xaverian’s attack were impressive and their goal shooters were near perfect. However, a standout performance from Giselle Yeboah in defence saw the away team start to struggle and make mistakes. Giselle’s performance earned herself coaches and opposition’s ‘Player of the Match’. In our attack, Loreto utilised the height and athleticism of Grace O’Shaunessy and then turned to a more moving circle in the latter half, with Emily Brocklebank and Freya Coggins rotating well and creating space for each other. Emily was another standout performer at GS, earning herself ‘Player of the Match’, as voted for by her teammates.
The third quarter saw Loreto come out of the half time break a completely different side. They dominated the third quarter and looked comfortable in attack and defence. Amy Wilson made her college team debut in at WD and worked tirelessly. Olivia Hickey, Isabelle Tyler and Jasmine McAvoy were as ruthless as ever in defence, disrupting the Xaverian attack and minimising their opportunities. Grace McAvoy controlled the midcourt, being the key link up player and had the tough task of battling it out against Xaverian’s outstanding C. Loreto’s attack end was fluent and the rotating circle was a pleasure to watch. Kemi Onasanya used her speed and tactical smarts to outwit her opponents, combining with Lydia Forster harmoniously. Loreto won the third quarter 15-4.
The match was definitely a game of two halves with Loreto completely controlling the second half. Loreto were calm and composed in the second half, minimising their error rate and capitalising on turnovers. The fourth quarter saw Loreto continue their fine form, winning 10-8.
The final score finished Loreto 43-27 Xaverian.
Squad: Olivia Hickey, Giselle Yeboah, Jasmine McAvoy, Isabelle Tyler, Amy Wilson, Grace McAvoy, Lydia Forster, Kemi Onasanya, Freya Coggins, Emily Brocklebank and Grace O’Shaunessy.