Hanwood's Leonard Cup team has survived their toughest test so far this season picking up a 2-2 draw against third-placed Cootamundra on Sunday afternoon at Hanwood Oval.
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After a couple of weeks break due to wet weather and a bye coach Anthony Zuccato felt it was just what the girls needed with three rounds remaining in the regular season.
"They came with an attitude that was going to push us to the limit, and they did," he said.
"A game like this is good for the girls. We haven't had a tough game like that for a while because we haven't had many games so from here we can build."
Cootamundra was able to create the first clear cut chance of the game, but it was the Hanwood side who made the early breakthrough after Kandice Bertoldo forced a turnover in the midfield and played a perfectly weighted through-ball to Johane Oberholtzer who placed it into the back of the net.
The Strikers hit back half an hour into the game after Kirrilee Cameron was able to get in behind the Hanwood defence and put a composed finish past Maree Cirillo.
Hanwood almost retook the lead just before halftime however with two minutes remaining in the first half it was Cameron who found the back of the net again to give Cootamundra a 2-1 lead at the break.
The home side was able to create the better chances in the second half, but it wasn't until the 70th minute when Airlee Savage was able to make a strong break down the wing from halfway and find Oberholzer in the box who converted for her second that they were able to pull level.
Both sides had late chances to retake the lead, however, both keepers were equal to any opportunity with the score finishing 2-2.
Zucatto knows his side could have won the game had they executed their chances.
"We missed a lot of opportunities from corners and could have been up by four or five, so it's something we need to work on," he said.
"We were probably using the long ball too often and hitting it too long. We need to find that balance where if we are going to use the long through-ball, one of our players needs to be able to get to it."
Zucatto was pleased with the performance of his midfielders, in particular, Bertoldo and Anita Cimador.
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Liam Warren
As someone with an underlying passion about sport it is a privilege to report on the sporting landscape around the MIA
As someone with an underlying passion about sport it is a privilege to report on the sporting landscape around the MIA
