Aces women get their spark back with victory over CBD | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

There's a new spark in the Rotorua Aces women's team, one they're not keen to give up easily.

After a flurry of poor results, lack of finishing skills and with a grey cloud hovering above them, Aces picked their game up and surprised all at Smallbone Park at the weekend.

With a 4-2 win over University CBD they left the turf holding their heads high, happy with their performance and amped for the next tie.

It was hard to pick a defining moment in the match but Aces' goalkeeper Tina Bethell's performance would come close.

She surprised her teammates - and herself - with an array of aerial saves, none more important than a stroke fired by Black Stick Cat Finlayson, which she deflected with her left glove. "I usually decide which way I'm going to go before the stroke and I thought she looked like she was going to go to my right but at the last minute I changed my mind and decided to go left," an ecstatic Bethell said afterwards.

"I was delighted. Cat is a Black Stick and I played with her at Midlands. I knew it wasn't going to be easy to save. In a stroke the goalie only has a 5 per cent chance of saving it.

"There were some good aerial shots. I feel a bit more stretched than usual, but so good to have a win."

Aces took to the turf with a newly found determination and attacked with gusto from the start.

Kelly Edge put Aces on the scoreboard with a neat goal and from then on it was all on.

Soon afterwards Renee Ngatai got the first of her hat-trick with a scramble in the circle and a refusal to give in to CBD. With the halftime score at 3-0 the Aces were fired up, especially after the one-handed save by Bethell.

It was a game full of fierceness, high balls and hits. One University player was taken to hospital to have stitches below her eye after a ball deflected from a stick on to her face and Ngatai came off at halftime with a bloodied finger.

She didn't let that stop her scoring her third, and Aces' fourth, goal midway through the second half as the team kept the pressure on the visitors.

There were a few momentary lapses. CBD scored their first goal from a penalty corner after Aces scrambled to clear it but couldn't get it far enough away.

The visitors' second goal was another scrappy affair. Bethell tried to clear it but it went just past her leg.

"Hopefully that's us for the rest of the season,"captain Pirihita Rangitauira said afterwards.

"You won't see that old team again. Parekura [Rangitauira] gave us a team talk about starting well and we did. It was also good having the experience of the likes of Aroha [Thompson] in defence and Tina Palso played really well.

"It was a great team effort, very few mistakes and we capitalised on opportunities.

"We had the spark back this week."

Rotorua Aces men also had a triumphant win. After last week's tough battle against Rotorua Indians they travelled to Hamilton to face Varsity Reserves.

Despite arriving late and only having a minute to warm up they managed to put their best game face on to win 10-1.

"We're really stoked," captain Stephen Te Moni said.

"It would have been better if we had a decent warm-up, instead of using the first half, but we had some really good running hockey.

"We were hungry for it and expected a good win. We created chances as much as we could but we could have scored more."

Goals came from Jury Herewini (2), Alex McIndoe (2), Hoete Mitai-Ngatai (2), Leo Wells (2), Te Hai Wells and Owen Mitai-Wells.

Rotorua Indians had the bye.

• Results:

Premier Men: Mt Maunganui 7 Suburbs Piako 1, Hamilton Old Boys 5 Tauranga Old Boys 1, Waikato University 4 Otumoetai 0, Fraser Tech 6 Kohekohe 0, Thames Valley 4 Onewhero Pukekohe 1, Rotorua Aces 10 Varsity Reserves 1, Pukekohe Indians 8 Te Awamutu 2. Rotorua Indians had the bye.

Premier Women: Otumoetai 3 Fraser Tech 0, Rotorua Aces 4 Waikato University 2, Te Awamutu 3 Thames Valley 0, Hamilton Old Girls 1 Onewhero Pukekohe 0.