SOUTHERN Steel claimed a huge upset win over the top-of-the-table Northern Mystics in the ANZ Premiership by three points last night (61-58). In front of a home crowd, the Steel managed to muster up something special to hand the Mystics their first loss in five games, credit to their full court defensive pressure.

It was the two goal shooters that were dominating early, with George Fisher and Grace Nweke doing the heavy lifting for their respective sides. Kate Heffernan was finding good space in attack for the Steel, hitting circle edge with great conviction to slice through the Mystics’ defence. Both sides had a sense of composure and calmness about them out on court, as they looked to throw the ball around and wait for an opening inside the circle. The Steel went on a mini run with a handy pickup from Tiana Metuarau in the centre third kickstarting a flurry of goals. Despite the Steel going up by three goals, the Mystics found a way to peg the margin back and get onto level pegging highlighting the intensity of the match.

The Steel managed three goals in a row to once again hit the lead but the connection between Nweke and Peta Toeava shone through for the Mystics. The defensive structure from the Mystics increases as they forced a held ball credit to their smothering defence. There were tips and intercepts aplenty of Fa’amu Ioane came to life in defence for the Mystics, while Kate Burley also starred with her fancy footwork to read the play and cleanly intercept the ball. Nweke continued her merry way under the post for the Mystics, rewarding her defenders for their efforts. Costly and uncharacteristic errors from both sides dictated the final few minutes of the term but it was the Steel that still managed to keep their noses in front.

The lead crept out to the highest margin of the night with the Steel establishing a four-goal buffer which quickly pushed out to five-goal lead. The Mystics looked somewhat frazzled out on court, unable to penetrate the defensive unit of the Steel and lacked their usual timing. Shannon Saunders was proving to be a maestro in attack, receiving just about every second pass to create a wealth of attacking forays for her side. the two goal keepers in Sulu Fitzpatrick and Taneisha Fifita that were doing the heavy lifting for their sides as they worked in overdrive to win back possession. The Steel were keen on holding onto their five goal lead constantly hunting for turnover ball to punish in attack.

Another three-goal run for the Steel allowed them to extend the buffer out to six goals, as the Mystics struggled to find answers for Metuarau and Fisher inside the circle. The pair were finding a wealth of space while they also impressed with their accuracy. After a quiet start, Bailey Mes was forced to the bench as Filda Vui came on in goal attack. the Mystics were not the only ones to make a change  as Sarahpheinna Woulf also sprung into action out in goal defence. It was a chaotic final minute of play as Fitzpatrick starred with her athleticism before Heffernan answered the call with her own bit of fancy footwork. Ioane was insistent on not missing out on the party coming through with some real speed to cherry pick a pass as Nweke capped things off with a much needed goal.

Only two goals separated the two sides at half time but that was short lived as the Mystics managed consecutive goals to level the scores. Vui made a good impact since coming onto the court while held ball calls seemed to be the flavour of the match as the ball changed hands time and time again. But every time the Mystics got back within striking distance, the Steel managed to find another gear to kick into going up by three goals.

It was a topsy turvy match as momentum swung back and forth with neither side able to really leave a lasting impact. Te Huinga Selby-Rickit was influential through transition, helping out the transverse line to allow the Steel to reset as the home side once again extended out to a three goal lead after being even. Looking for a spark the Mystics headed to the bench as Ama Agbeze entered the fray in at goal keeper as Fitzpatrick pushed out to goal defence. Ioane was proving to be a real nuisance but a lack of discipline from the visitors continued to cost them important ball.

The final quarter lived up to the hype as Nweke delivered back to back goals to draw level once again. The intensity rose in the arena as the clock ticked down with neither team willing to relent on their pressure given what was at stake. Metuarau stood up for the Steel with Fisher well covered by the Mystics defenders. Despite all the best efforts of the Mystics they simply could not do enough to eat into the two goal buffer. Phoenix Karaka made her long awaited return after giving birth and it did not take long for the goal keeper to make an impact down back. But in the end it was the Steel that walked away with a very important win when it comes to ladder standings.

Fisher was remarkable to post once again finishing with 39 goals from 41 attempts at 95 per cent accuracy, while Metuarau was also in hot form shooting 22 goals at 85 per cent to accompany her 21 goal assists. Speaking of goal assists, Saunders also found her groove for the Steel recording 24 for the game along with two intercepts. Savai’inaea impressed out in wing defence with her two intercepts as Fifita amassed two intercepts. Nweke was down on her accuracy sitting at 88 per cent but still managed 50 goals while Vui shot at 100 per cent for her six goals. Toeava racked up 22 goal assists while Fitzpatrick managed four gains as Burley amassed two deflections.