The women took on Shepparton Youth Club, aiming to bounce back from a loss to Mooroopna last time out, which it was expected to do against its bottom-placed opponent.
Echuca Moama performed to expectation in a 3-1 win, registering its second victory over Shepparton this season.
As a result, the River Rats pulled away from the competition’s bottom two sides — Shepparton Strikers being the other — but they are still nine points behind league leader Mooroopna.
Mooroopna was the opponent for the Echuca Moama men in round six, the River Rats still searching for their first win of the season but playing a side that was in the same predicament
Despite both sides likely seeing the match as winnable, neither came away with a drought-breaking victory as they played out a thrilling 4-4 draw.
The River Rats men sit just above Mooroopna in fifth on the ladder, the two sides only separated on goal difference, but a point clear of bottom-placed Goulburn Valley Grammar School.
GVGS recorded a big 10-0 win over Echuca Moama’s under-16s in the junior fixtures, but the under-13 River Rats joined the women as the only two teams to record victories, the side defeating Shepparton Youth Club 8-5.
The club hands out junior player of the match awards via its Facebook page after every round, and this week siblings won the accolades, with Jack Thompson best-on for the under-13s and Olivia Thompson taking out the under-16s award.
Elsewhere in hockey, the Castlemaine side made up of Echuca Moama players lost again in Hockey Central Victoria, going down 4-0 to Sandhurst.
The side will play Strathdale Tigers next, still without a win six games into its season.