The WGHS 2nd XI Hockey team travelled to Rotorua for an invitational tournament featuring six girls’ teams. It was a fantastic weekend of hockey, with the team showing resilience, growth, and great spirit both on and off the field.
WGHS fought hard with a 1–0 win over John Paul College. In game two against Rotorua Lakes High School, the team showed real character, coming from behind to secure a 3–2 victory, with Rosalie Graf stepping up and inspiring the team. Their third match against a well-structured Western Heights High School proved a tough challenge, with WGHS going down 2–0 despite a determined performance.
On day two, they produced an impressive 6–0 win over Rotorua Girls’ High School, with Samantha Bayer leading the way with a hat-trick, before finishing pool play with a controlled 5–0 win over Matamata College.
This result saw WGHS progress to the Grand Final, where they faced Western Heights once again. With only 40 minutes between finishing game five and the start of the final, Western Heights proved the stronger side on the day and claimed the trophy with a 4–0 win, but Westlake continued to fight hard and give everything they had until the final whistle.
WGHS 2nd XI, finished runners-up showing tremendous effort in extremely hot conditions. The team can be especially proud of how the younger Year 9 players stepped up and contributed so strongly, highlighting a bright future for Westlake Hockey. A special mention also goes to Carina de Koster for an outstanding performance throughout the weekend, showing great composure under pressure and leading by example. All of the girls represented Westlake Hockey exceptionally well and made the tournament a great showcase of the team’s talent and spirit.