EX-SERVICES’ outstanding 2008 women’s Premier League Hockey season came to a heartbreaking end on Saturday when St Pat’s scored a winner three minutes from full-time to end the blue and golds’ season in Bathurst.

Star midfielder Jade Warrender cancelled out the home side’s 1-0 first-half lead with 10 minutes remaining in the final and the game looked to be heading into extra-time before Amelia Burke netted a scrappy goal in the dying stages to secure St Pat’s a 2-1 win at Bob Roach Field.

Ex-Services coach Gail Kennewell said she was proud of her team’s efforts after a breakthrough season in 2008.

“I couldn’t have asked much more from the girls because they ground away and they didn’t make many mistakes at all today,” Kennewell said.

“Full credit to them (St Pat’s). They were at about 99 per cent today as far as error rate went. It wasn’t for a lack of trying from us but I thought our girls did extremely well. Any other day the balls probably would have gone in and we would be up there.”

The game could have gone either way in the second half, with both teams creating chances in the dying stages, but it was Pat’s who booked a showdown with cross-town rivals Bathurst City thanks to Burke’s late winner.

“We started out pretty well and then they got on top of us for a while there but we really dug deep. When they scored the goal on us to level it up we kept our heads up, got it up the other end and got the ball in the net,” St Pat’s coach Ben Weal said after the match.

“It wasn’t the best goal but that’s what happens in finals, you just have to get it in the goals somehow.”

Pat’s dominated the first half and were unlucky not to go to the half-time break with a bigger lead after Kirralee Naylor missed a penalty shot in the opening minutes.

Jenny Muldoon made the most of a Lucy Weal pass to get Pat’s on the scoreboard in the 12th minute.

It was an arm wrestle for the remainder of the first half and while Ex-Services had their fair share of the ball, they were unable to get past the strong Pat’s defence.

After the break Ex-Services came out fired up and had St Pat’s on the back foot as they began to push forward.

With 16 minutes to go, Ex-Services missed a golden opportunity when Ashlea Warrender missed a shot at an open goal, striking it just to the left.

Her sister Jade made no mistake six minutes later when the Pat’s defence hung back, putting it in the back of the net and getting the game back on level terms before Burke secured the win for the home side in the dying stages.

ST PAT’S 2 (Jenny Muldoon, Amelia Burke) def EX-SERVICES 1 (Jade Warrender).