Laurimar 2 have made it three consecutive wins in Division 7 of the 2023-24 NFNL senior summer netball competition after coming from behind to defeat Northcote Park by six goals at La Trobe Sports Stadium.
The Power trailed by six goals at half time, having conceded 10 goals to the Cougars in the second term, before turning the tables in the second half with a massive 15-3 effort in the final two terms to claim a 24-18 triumph.
With the victory, Laurimar now sit in third position on the Division 7 ladder and have a two-game gap on fifth placed Heidelberg West and sixth placed Northcote Park who each sit on three wins.
Goal shooter Belinda Calvert was Laurimar’s top scorer for the third straight game and scored 11 goals for the second successive week. Ebony Isailovic was just as important in the attacking circle, shooting nine goals, with seven of them coming in the second half.
Efforts from Isabel Becker and Nicole Brincat also contributed to the final result for the Power.
Jess Mandile led the way in the attacking third for the Cougars, scoring 11 goals of her own, while wing attack Lizzie Peters impressed in the midcourt.
In an even first quarter, both teams had patches of brilliance in attack, with Becker (Laurimar) and Mandile (Northcote Park) both registering four-goal terms.
The Power led by a single goal at the first break, but the Cougars were in control throughout the second quarter with an impressive 10-goal term.
While Mandile continued to have an influence in the frontcourt, Kellie Moorcroft and Alex Saunders put in the hard work on defence, with their constant pressure and ball winning ability seeing Laurimar only score three goals for the term.
The Cougars had a healthy six-goal lead at half time as a result, but they would start to experience some scoring struggles throughout the second half as the Power turned up the pressure.
Zara Capp was a spark in the defensive end for the Power, regaining control of her individual match up while also constantly igniting transitional plays for her side.
Laurimar would win the third quarter 8-2, with both shooters in Calvert and Isailovic working well as a unit, scoring four goals each.
Scores would be level approaching the final term and with both teams having produced big quarters throughout the game, it left an opportunity for either team to snatch the win.
But it would be the Power who continued their momentum into the last stanza, as their ability to punish Northcote Park on turnovers didn’t let up.
They would keep the Cougars to one more goal for the game while producing seven of their own to prevail by six goals.
