The Eagles were without some key players with Annie Lelini played in the midcourt for Ararat.

She providing strong drives and forward leads to give her team plenty of opportunities across the four quarters.

She brought the ball down through the centre corridor and passed nicely into her goalies in the circle.

It was a close tussle, with the Pumas taking the lead at the first change, 13 goals to 11, with both team’s shooters going at more than 70 per cent accuracy.

Both teams made changes during the break, with the Pumas moving Chloe Dunmore out to goal attack.

Having started strongly in the circle at goal shooter, Dunmore continued to be influential, this time further down the court as well.

She was able to finish off reasonably accurately for her team netting 10 goals in the second quarter to go with her eight in the first term.

The Pumas were able to stretch out their lead at halftime to six goals off the back of a 17-goal term to finish 30 goals to 24.  

Amy Moller was impressive through the midcourt for Moyston-Willaura.

Moving from wing defence into wing attack during the match, Moller provided some much needed drive through the goal third, holding strongly on the ring and passing accurately into the circle to create scoring opportunities.

The Pumas led 43 goals to 33 as they went into the final term with the game still in the balance.

Jordyn Leggett worked hard for the visitors with her versatility allowing coaches to move her around when needed.

She spent the first three quarters at goal defence, trying to quell Dunmore’s influence on the scoreboard, before moving into the circle as a goalie to try and score enough goals to get her team over the line.

Using her knowledge of defence, Leggett was able to work around her opponent and be a strong option in the circle for the Eagles.

Generally she was able to finish off the team’s hard work and give them a fighting chance but it was not enough as the Pumas were able to continue scoring at the other end to hold on to their lead.

It was a solid four quarter effort for Moyston-Willaura, as the Pumas continued to build on their lead slightly each quarter, finishing with a 55-42 goal win.

Dunmore finished with 33 goals in a best on court performance while Moller also got named in the bests.

For the Eagles, Sarah West led the scoring with 15 with Leggett and Lelini named the visitors’ best on court. The Pumas remain 10 points outside the top five with finals still possible while the Eagles sit two games behind.