WEDDERBURN has bowed out of the North Central Hockey Association finals after a stirring show against Calder United.
At St Arnaud’s Lord Nelson Park on Saturday, it was Calder United seized the initiative early in the preliminary final with Sarah Botheras and Phoebe Paley linking to pressure the Wedderburn defence. 
After a scramble in front of goal, Sarah forced the ball across the line to give Calder the lead. 
Wedderburn responded through Shelby and Chelsea Giorlando’s overhead combinations, but Calder’s Laura Harrison Mary-Anne Pollard broke
down attack after attack. 
Desperate to tie up the score Chelsea fired a shot destined for the top corner, only for Sue-Anne Beattie to pull off a spectacular stick save and send the
ball back out. 
A short corner for Wedderburn at the end of the corner saw a penalty stroke awarded when the ball hit a defenders foot behind the keeper, but Shelby attempt was denied by Beattie to keep Calder ahead 1-0 at the break.
Wedderburn came close again in the second quarter, hitting the crossbar after a deflected shot from a short, but Calder’s defence scrambled and cleared it back out. With time running out in the quarter a penalty was earned by Calder before the whistle. 
Tanya Goddard stepped up to take it but was unable to convert past Wedderburn’s keeper Cassandra Reeves.
The third quarter saw a lot of back and forth with no score before the third penalty for the game was awarded to Wedderburn. This time Chelsea converted the goal with a powerful flick to tie the match 1-1 with 17 minutes left in the game.
With time running down in the final quarter, and emotions getting high, Calder earned a decisive short corner in the dying minutes of the game. 
 Kate Gifford stepped up and drilled her strike into the bottom corner with three minutes left putting them back in the lead. 
Wedderburn pushed desperately and earned one last short where the ball was breathtakingly stopped from crossing the line by Laura Harrison who cleanly cleared the ball.  Calder held on 2-1 and will face St Arnaud in the women’s grand final.
Calder United Lions will meet Birchip Watchem in the Under 12s, Charlton face St Arnaud in Underage and Calder United take on St Arnaud in the men’s grand final.