Sport
19 August, 2025
Navarre ends losing streak with Creek win
Despite some strong resis-tance from Campbells Creek, Navarre has put their recent skid behind them and got back to winning ways with a 15-goal victory over the Magpies.
Their last four points of the home and away season allowed the Grasshoppers to keep Newstead at bay by just two percent, finishing in seventh as they prepare for an elimination final with Lexton after splitting the regular season series 1-1.
After both missing the Magpies’ defeat to Avoca the week prior, midcourter Eillish Cumming and shooter Paige Langley returned to the team on Saturday, allowing Claire Jones to move back to B grade.
While those additions were certainly a boost to their attack, Campbells Creek couldn’t keep up with Navarre’s offence in the first quarter, which opened with 16 goals to take a seven-goal lead into quarter time.
With shooter Erin Jackson unavailable for this match, Chloe Frank and Brianna Hyslop were given all of the Grasshoppers’ scoring responsibilities. They delivered with Frank netting nine and Hyslop sinking seven.
Magpies shooter Elouise Jones matched Hyslop’s opening term output with seven goals of her own while Langley added two.
While Navarre’s defenders Sophie Flood and Jade Allen kept the Magpies at bay with multiple interventions and strong defensive rebounding, their teammates continued to deliver with the ball, expanding the margin to 14 goals at half time.
Midcourters Sidney Dyer and Amber Perry allowed Frank and Hyslop to continue their first-quarter momentum with some brilliant entry passes.
Frank remained the leading target with 10 goals in the period, while Hyslop delivered five goals.
Jones and Langley both scored four goals each in the second quarter for Campbells Creek, who looked to be out of the contest.
That notion began to change in the third quarter, as the Magpies went toe-to-toe with the Grasshoppers throughout the period.
Their defenders, Ella Cochrane and Lizzy Clarke, as well as midcourters Taylah Sartori and Mikayla Gellatly, did an amazing job stopping their opponents’ offensive momentum, limiting the deficit to 15 goals at three-quarter time.
Even with the Magpies halting multiple advances, Frank was still very effective in the third quarter, going six for seven while Hyslop scored three.
After some first half struggles, Langley found a groove in the third period, leading her team with five goals. Jemma Finning moved into the goal circle for periods of the third, netting two, while Jones added one.
Campbells Creek remained very competitive with a team in the finals, finishing their 2025 campaign by drawing the fourth quarter 11-11, an encouraging indication of their potential next season.
Navarre wasn’t too stressed about all that, happy to take home the win to end the regular season with an even 8-8 record.
Frank finished arguably her best performance of 2025 with seven goals in the final term, ending with a season-high 32 goals. Hyslop also had a strong showing, ending with 19 goals with a 76 percent shooting percentage.
Jones was brilliant in the final quarter for Campbells Creek, scoring eight goals from nine attempts to end the game with a team-high 20 goals. Langley netted three in the fourth to end up with 14 goals.