ORANGE Ex-Services has come from behind twice against women’s Premier League Hockey giants Lithgow Panthers to snatch a 2-all draw on Saturday.

Played in Orange, Lithgow’s star strikers Amanda Saladine and Roxsanne Van Veen both snuck goals past Servies’ keeper Erin Horan but a winner off the stick of Mel Wood and a first-half belter from gun forward Jade Williams kept the hosts in the contest, and after 70 minutes the drawn outcome ensured the blue and golds remain undefeated in the last month of hockey.

Co-coach Mitch Kennewell was thrilled with the result, particularly after the way Servies started.

“We started the game a little intimidated I think,” he said.

“The girls were fairly stand-offish and we gave them too much room. We spoke about it at halftime and I think the girls turned it around big time. We got up in their faces and it frustrated them into a few turnovers and we pretty well dominated the second half.

“I think a draw is a pretty fitting result.”

A sentiment Lithgow would probably object to.

On top of the ladder having dropped just the one game this season, Panthers started at their physical best but, somewhat surprisingly, couldn’t crack the Mel Hope-led Orange defence until the 30th minute, Van Veen posting one goal-bound to deliver the visitors a 1-0 advantage heading into the break.

Addressing their soft start to the clash at halftime, Servies started the better of the two teams in the second stanza and Williams’ sensational diving effort to score her side’s first of the match drew the scores level.

The women’s PLH’s best player, Saladine hit home Panthers’ second goal at the 50-minute mark to again assume the ascendency before Wood snatched an equaliser inside the final 10 minutes.

“We’re improving every week,” Kennewell enthused.

“We’re not getting ahead of ourselves, we’ve won three and had a draw in the last four weeks but we’re a way off of where we want to be as a team, and the girls know that. We’re happy with the result.”

ORANGE EX-SERVICES 2 (Mel Wood, Jade Williams) drew with LITHGOW PANTHERS 2 (Amanda Saladine, Roxsanne Van Veen).