Lalor 1 are charging towards finals in the NFNL winter netball competition after a comprehensive 27 goal win over Bundoora 3 at Mill Park Sports Stadium.
With both sides on five wins apiece heading into the match, the win was crucial for both teams heading towards the end of the season.
Ultimately, a 12 goal to three first quarter set the tone for Lalor’s 39-12 victory and with the Bloods now prevailing in four of their last five games, they look all but certain to make an appearance in finals.
The 39 goals were split between Kristin Birch (14) and Zoe Lagoulis (25) who were clinical in the front court. Both players now sit in third and fourth respectively on the competition goal shooting leader board.
Meghan McKenzie and Danielle Smith were brilliant in defence and played a big role in keeping the Bulls to their lowest score of the season.
Paige Minutoli top scored for Bundoora with six goals.
Lagoulis proved to be difficult to contain right from the first whistle as she scored 11 of Lalor’s 12 opening term goals. The Bloods kept the Bulls to three goals, establishing a nine-goal lead at the first change.
Not much changed in the second term as Birch quickly warmed up to get involved in the scoring for Lalor, scoring five goals on top of Lagoulis’ six majors to extend the margin.
Minutoli and Bundoora goal attack Natalie Nolan continued to push themselves throughout the half to try and create chances for their side despite the few opportunities on goal.
With a 17-goal lead at half time, the Bloods were looking to continue their momentum into the third term. But the Bulls turned things up a notch defensively and made scoring a lot more difficult for their opponents.
Roslyn Bruno and Kendall Fitzpatrick led the way in the backcourt for Bundoora, only allowing the Bloods to score four majors for the quarter.
But despite their efforts, the Bulls could only add another three goals themselves and still trailed by 18 goals at three quarter time.
Lalor took back the control they possessed in the first half and were able to finish strong with another 12 goal to three quarter, ensuring they picked up win number six for the season.
