Semifinal hopes slipping away for WA women after losing first two matches on home turf in Country Challenge

WA suffered three consecutive defeats to start their women’s campaign at the Hockey Australia Country Challenge in Albany at the weekend. The host State will need to win all three of their reamining pool games to jump into the top four and earn a berth in Friday’s semifinals. WA’s chances of securing a semifinal spot were further dented after a Tinesha Carey hat-trick powered Queensland to a 5-1 victory on Monday night. Carey struck first for Queensland in the 17th minute before Zali Spencer answered back immediately, scoring from a penalty corner. However Carey added two more goals in the 30th and 33rd minutes and then Hayley Buchanan and Majella Barnes joined the party, scoring the final two goals of the game to hand WA their third straight defeat. Goalkeeper Bonnie Crook made several impressive saves for the losing side WA pressed hard for their opening win of the national tournament on Sunday night but fell short as Victoria snatched a hard-fought 1-0 win. That result came on the back of WA’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Australian Defence Force on Saturday. WA had their opportunities in Sunday’s clash against Victoria but Kari Gulson’s strike in the third quarter would be all that separated the two sides. In a real arm-wrestle, a field goal from Gulson broke the deadlock in the 36th minute. WA pressed hard in the final term to get back on level ground terms but it was in vain despite the best efforts of Lower Great Southern’s Beck Gallimore and Eastern Goldfield’s Emma Storm. In their opener on Saturday afternoon two penalty corner conversions in the first half helped the ADF upset WA. the home State. It took just six minutes for the ADF to find the back of the net, as Samantha Stevens fired home the opening goal. The ADF advantage was doubled in the second quarter when the hardworking Riley Smith converted her side’s fifth penalty corner of the game. WA captain Laura Archer tried valiantly to drag her side back into the contest and was well supported by Mel Baldwin and defender Zeta O’Rourke. The hosts won two penalty corners in the third term but could not break the deadlock and their defensive unit was under constant pressure in the first-up defeat. WA face New South Wales on Tuesday at 2.15pm.