Guernsey lose penalty shoot-out lottery
GUERNSEY lost their grip on the EH Trophy in cruel fashion at Olympic Park on Saturday.
Twelve months on from winning the silverware in a penalty shoot-out, their defence of it ended in defeat in the same manner at the Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre in London as Sheffield University Bankers beat them 6-5 on strokes after the final ended 2-2.
Guernsey had taken the lead in both halves – firstly through Steve Waldrom and then thanks to Matt Stokes – only to be pegged back on both occasions as SUB forced the dreaded strokes.
Their hero in the shoot-out was goalkeeper Simon Hibbert, who saved twice from Zak Damarell in almost identical fashion – diving low to his right – from the opening stroke of the shoot-out and then in sudden death.
'It is disappointing to be goals up in a final and end up drawing,' said Guernsey player-coach Andy Whalley.
'Once you are into strokes it becomes a bit of a lottery and you have got to take your hat off to anyone who puts their hand up to take one. We were just on the wrong side of it today.'
