1st XI Hockey v Marist Sabers - Saturday 20 June
In another pre-season match, the 1st XI played Marist Sabers on Saturday at the Twin Turfs.
Poor execution of basic skills by PNBHS helped give Marist an early advantage after they scored late in the first quarter.
PNBHS managed to start playing with some structure in the second quarter, combining well to create some attacking opportunities. A narrow lead saw Marist commit to an extremely defensive game plan, making it difficult for the 1st XI to find the net.
Down 0 - 1 at half time, PNBHS dug deep to claw their way back into the match. Connor Managh finished off a penalty corner with some outstanding aerial work, levelling the score. Toward the end of the third quarter, Matthew Dellow found the goal after some excellent team passing.
Going into the final quarter 2 - 1 up, PNBHS played some pleasing passing hockey. In the closing minutes, Hael Pritchard was able to score a brilliant reverse shot to bring up the final score of 3-1 to PNBHS.
The next match for the 1st XI is against Whanganui Collegiate in a pre-season fixture for the Intercity Secondary School Completion on Wednesday evening.