GERRINGONG’S Mackenzie Ford and her NSW side have held their nerve in a shoot-out, after being stunned by a last-minute equaliser, to take out the Australian Under 15 Hockey Championships at Illawarra Hockey Centre.
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Alana Kavanagh had put NSW ahead in the 21st minute and the goal looked to be enough, as they clung on to the lead in the dying moments.
But then Alexandra Wansbrough struck with a last-gasp from the field to make it 1-all, leaving the championships to be decided by a shoot-out.
It took until the sixth half-field stroke for Amber Witney to seal victory against a highly-talented Victorian team.
“They played phenomenally well,” coach Liam Cole said.
“They were great all week, when we beat Queensland earlier on you could see the belief among the girls just growing.
“And we spoke about there being no pressure on them during the tournament, I think that helped when it came down to the shoot-out.
“I just tried to make sure they kept calm, because the girls were pretty upset they’d conceded that goal when they were so close to winning (in normal time).”
During the tournament, Ford played an influential role in the midfield throughout the campaign.
The Victorian team is coached by former Kookaburras great David Wansbrough, who won a silver medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
NSW finished on top of Pool B with four wins and a draw, one point ahead of Queensland Maroon.
Along the way, they beat Northern Territory 6-1, Victoria White 3-1, Tasmania 4-nil, Queensland Maroon 5-2, as well as a 1-all draw with Queensland Gold.
They then overpowered Western Australia Gold 3-2 to make the final.
But Victoria Blue had entered the decider in hot form, conceding just one goal during the preliminary games to stay unbeaten.
Meanwhile, Queensland took out the boys championships with a 3-1 victory over WA, two quick goals before half-time ensuring victory.
NSW, featuring Culburra Beach’s Sam Wright-Smith and Berry’s Scott Crisafi, took away the bronze medal – with Tyler Gaddes scoring from the field to complete a 3-1 win, after Victoria had scored two minutes early to offer them hope of finding an equaliser.