GARSTANG Ladies Hockey Club met Pendle Forest 3 in the quarter-finals of the Caley Trophy.
Having lost their two previous league games a confident win was needed to help their bid for a strong finish to the season. Garstang started brightly, with good interlink play down the right involving Goldsmith
and Bell putting pressure on the Pendle defence.
However, it was a quick ball out from Pendle down the middle of the pitch which earned the home side the first penalty corner of the game, catching the Red's defence out, although Pendle were unable to convert
with the shot going wide.
Garstang then had the majority of possession for the remainder of the half, with Conlan working hard in the centre and the midfield producing
good passing play. Garstang scored their first goal from a well worked penalty corner, which left Summers with space to fire in past the keeper.
Good play by Conlan led to Garstang's second, who got the ball out to Goldsmith, which was pulled to the top of the D to Cookson and slipped to Summers who then lifted brilliantly into the net.
Garstang continued to take charge in the second half, moving the ball out wide stretching the Pendle defence.
Garstang's third came from a ball to the top of the D, which was slipped to Conlan who calmly slotted in first time into the bottom corner. Higham and Townsend stopped any Pendle attacks, sending the ball back into the Pendle half to keep up the pressure.
Cookson scored twice from penalty corners in quick succession to make it five, when a shot by Bell was deflected in at the near post, and when Richardson neatly slipped the ball past the keeper to leave an easy finish.
Garstang could and probably should have scored more, but are happy to have secured their place in the semi-finals where they face a tough away game against Lytham 1st.
Player of Match: Vicki Conlan