In the sage words of their coach, Kiri Wills, the Northern Stars have been "out-hustled" by the unbeaten Central Pulse. She still had some influence in her other role, as assistant coach, on the Stars bench, but it wasn't quite enough to topple the in-form Pulse. A second quarter rush from the Pulse, who outscored the Stars by nine goals in those 15 minutes, was ultimately key to their victory. There was little to separate the two teams in the first 15 minutes, with the scoring ticking over virtually goal for goal. The Pulse ramped it up at the start of the second spell, quickly taking an eight-goal lead.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 18, 2019 19:30 UTC