The A-grade men faced Mooroopna, which is in its inaugural top-flight season, at the Goulburn Valley hockey pitch on Saturday afternoon, putting up a strong 3-1 victory to open the account for 2024.
Goals from William Kerr, Ashley Phipps and Brodie Mulcahy saw Echuca-Moama safely to victory, while Riley Law bagged Mooroopna’s sole score.
Over in the women’s, Sally Thompson proved the difference for Echuca-Moama in its win over Benalla.
Thompson was the only player on the pitch to score in the 1-0 victory, handing the side a perfect start ahead of a big clash against Euroa in round two.
Echuca-Moama’s B-grade men’s side didn’t fare quite as well, falling by seven goals to Benalla.
Stuart Williams scored a consolation goal for the side, which watched Benalla fire home eight of its own, with David McIntyre scoring a hat-trick in a standout display.
In the juniors, Echuca-Moama’s under-16B side had a tough outing against Benalla, going down 3-16, with Couper Williams (two goals) and Jack Bateson (one goal) doing the scoring.
The under-12 Echuca-Moama side fell in a tight contest, also against Benalla, with Jack Thompson scoring both goals in the 2-4 loss.