The Melbourne Vixens drew 59 all against interstate rivals the NSW Swifts in a thriller at Hisense Arena on Saturday night.
The score sat tight for most of the first quarter with either team struggling to make a break of more than a few points. Both teams showed off their great defensive lines, with the Vixens ensuring plenty of turnovers in the first quarter and providing opportunity for Vixens shooter Kumwenda to find space under the posts. The Vixens finished the first quarter with a five goal lead in an already high scoring, free flowing contest.
The second quarter saw the Swifts claw their way back into reach of the Vixens with some smart play taking advantage of minor Vixens errors to level the scores. However some agile play from Kumwenda kept the ball alive, allowing Philip to score. Goal keeper Emily Mannix continued to show off her defensive dominance, while Philip and Kumwenda remained accurate and frequently found space to maintain a tight Vixens lead, finishing the half leading 31 to 28.
The Swifts tied the scores up at 32 a piece within minutes of the second half, indicating this game would go down to the wire. Swifts GA Housbey proved an effective player for the Swifts with stunning accuracy at goal. Despite the Swifts continued efforts, some quality defensive play from Mannix and Chloe Watson and a great partnership between Kate Moloney and Philip allowed the Vixens to continue to push ahead bringing their lead back up to 7 points at one stage. The Vixens finished the 3rd quarter ahead by five goals 47 to 44.
The final quarter saw both teams putting their best defence forward, as the Swifts tightened up the match to within striking distance of a potential Swifts win. Some great plays from the defensive line allowed the Vixens to pull forward once again thanks to some accurate shooting from Philip, extending their lead back to six goals late in the final quarter. A late hard defensive push from the Swifts turned the momentum in the final minutes of the match. With only one point left in the match with 30 seconds on the clock, Wallace showed impressive composure shooting the final goal with mere seconds on the clock, tying the match 59-59.
Captain Kate Moloney said she was disappointed in the result, particularly as the Vixens were up significantly in the final quarter.
“No, we couldn’t [hold on]. We threw it away in the end, sort of similar to what we did last week.” she said.
Liz Watson was named Match MVP. The Vixens will take on the West Coast Fever on 11 March, 7pm at Hisense Arena.
