Hat-trick gets Strikers home

Rising South West Strikers hockey star Ashleigh Barbetti scored her maiden hat-trick to help defeat Old Guildford 5-2 in their Promotion One State league match at Guildford on Saturday afternoon.

The Strikers ripped into their opponents on the new Guildford turf from the start to take a 3-1 lead after just 15 minutes.

And nobody was more committed than Barbetti, who slotted three first-half goals courtesy of control of the midfield by Allyce Sewell who served her forwards with a spray of pinpoint passes.

Moving the ball around at bewildering speed the Strikers won a spate of short corners with Barbetti slotting a crisp shot from a corner variation followed by a second penalty corner goal, this time from captain Jenna Gmeiner.

Continuing their blistering start Barbetti struck again, scooping the ball over the Guildford goalkeeper from a scramble in the circle, completing her hat-trick.

Strikers captain Jenna Gmeiner scored from a penalty corner before Old Guildford managed a consolation by Jeannie Richardson against the run of play with a breakaway raid as half-time approached to make the tally 4-1.

The home team fought valiantly after half-time to keep the Strikers to just one penalty corner goal with Collie youngster Emily Antonovich getting the last touch to nudge the ball home.

Old Guildford pulled one back with a penalty corner goal after the siren with Megan Armstrong-Boase on target.

Meanwhile, the men’s side drew two-all with the Joondalup Lakers.

In a fast, physical free-flowing hit out at Arena Joondalup, David O’Brien played a momentous match, laying on the first Strikers goal for Nayton Colombera to hit the equaliser after the Strikers had conceded the first goal early.

The Strikers went ahead with a scintillating O’Brien shot off a short corner after which the two evenly matched outfits fought furiously for supremacy with the Neaves brothers backing O’Brien until the Lakers levelled in the dying minutes of the match.