Sport

GVHA girls allow only one goal against them en route to gold medal glory

By Josh Huntly

May 20, 2025

The GVHA under-18 girls show off their medallions after defeating Geelong Hockey Association 1-0 in the gold medal match at the Junior Country Championships. Photo by Contributed

A return foray to the Junior Country Championships for the Goulburn Valley Hockey Association’s under-18 girls squad has delivered in spades.

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Under the guidance of coach Rachelle Collins, the GV team dominated the tournament at the State Sport Centre in Parkville, Melbourne, winning all seven matches and clinching gold in a nail-biting final against Geelong on Sunday.

The GVHA’s run to the title kicked off with four games on Saturday, starting with a 0-0 draw against Hamilton before defeating Sunraysia (2-0), North Central (4-0), and West Gippsland (1-0).

It beat Geelong (2-0) and Ballarat (3-1) to sew up top spot and a position in the final.

The championship was sealed by Sukhseerat Khehra's crucial goal in the final, while GV's rock-solid defence maintained its tournament-long dominance, conceding one goal across all matches and securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory.

The group fused rising underage talents with a core group of gold medal winners from GV squad’s past, wasting no time in gelling together.

“It was the first time GV had entered the under-18 girls JCC team for a number of years,” team manager Cameron Druitt said.

“It was uncharted territory for us as a team and Rachelle as a coach. A couple of the older girls had played under-18 for other associations, so this is the first time for the GV in a number of years.

“They came together really well as a team. A lot had played under-16s together the last few years, and we had won the gold medal in the last two years.

“The more experienced girls really welcomed the lesser experienced girls, including a few under-16s, who came up, who were well-supported.

“Shout out to Rachelle and her coaching ability and how she managed the group. They all enjoyed the camaraderie and the social aspect.”

The under-18s weren’t the only side to fly the flag for the GVHA, with the under-14 girls and boys hitting the field for a dash at their respective titles.

The boys finished top of Pool B with two wins over Sunraysia (9-0) and East Gippsland (3-0), advancing to a semi-final bout against Hockey Central Victoria.

Finn McLeod hit the GVHA’s sole strike in the gallant 3-1 loss before narrowly missing out on third place honours in a 1-0 result against Hamilton.

The under-14 girls made a strong account of themselves with a third-place finish in Pool B after also snatching two wins before signing off on the JCC campaign with a 1-0 win over Ballarat in the 7th-place playoff.