Westlake Girls' High School Take Water Polo Title

2016 NZSS Premier Girls National Championships 27-30 April www.waterpolo.org.nz Photos by Wilson Longhurst Credit - https://www.facebook.com/newzealandwaterpolo/photos/a.323357591204524.1073741828.321603848046565/515867168620231/?type=3&theater

St. Cuthbert's College beat Westlake Girls' High School twice in the Auckland Water polo championships. Despite St. Cuthbert's previous successes it was Westlake who prevailed in yesterdays National Secondary Schools' decider in Wellington.

Westlake started strongly,  scoring first through Nadia Pavlovich. Tate Renata responded in St. Cuthbert's next attack to equalise, but Morgan McDowall and Emily Nicholson put themselves on the scoresheet to make it 3-1 to Westlake.

Another Nicholson goal in the second quarter saw Westlake head three goals up. Seven exclusions and two timeouts in the quarter led to no goals, to see the score at 4-1 at the halftime break.

Westlake made their mark at the beginning of the third quarter to create a four-goal buffer, but a goal from St. Cuthbert's College's Kelsey Snelgar reduced the deficit to three. Rosa Clark made the margin just two for St. Cuth's to set the tone for the final quarter.

Nicholson scored her third for the match early in the final quarter for a 6-3 Westlake lead, but 21 seconds later Hibbert was excluded to let Malia Josephson find the back of the net for St. Cuthbert's for 6-4. A St. Cuth's comeback appeared to be on the way when left-hander Bernadette Doyle made the margin just one with 3:15 left on the clock. After an exclusion and a timeout for each team inside the final three minutes, the score remained at 6-5 for the last whistle.

This is the tenth time Westlake has won the Premier Girls title. Their previous successes were in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2007, 2014, 2015.  
 
Westlake Results

• St. Mary's College, 7-5
• Epsom Girls Grammar, 16-1
• St. Hilda's College, 29-1
• Kristin College, 11-3
• Carmel College, 9-2
• Diocesan, 10-4
• St. Cuthbert College, 6-5

 
 
Most Valuable Player
Emily Nicholson - Westlake Girls High School
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Most Outstanding Players
Nadia Pavlovich - Westlake Girls High School
Alisha Winstanley (GK) - Westlake Girls High School
Antonia Young (GK) - St. Cuthbert's College
Malia Josephson - St. Cuthbert's College
Hannah Ngare - Diocesan School for Girls
 

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