Black Sticks Development team manage to draw 2-2 against Japan’s National team: Hockey Recap
Finally, Black Sticks Women’s Development team succeeded to turn the table in their favour when they played a levelled game against Japan’s National Women’s team today. They displayed much improved performance in the third match by overcoming their weaknesses
and lapses that they did in the first two matches of the five Test match series against Japan, being played at Gifu Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan. The match was a draw with scores 2-2.
The New Zealanders had almost four pure chances in the first 15 minutes of the match, but unluckily they could not utilise those chances and finished the first half without any goal. Although the Black Sticks Development team played wonderful hockey in first
half, but it was Japan who scored the first goal of the match moments before the end of first half. So, the first half ended up with 1-0 to Japan.
In the second half, Black Sticks came back strongly in the match by scoring their first goal in just six minutes after, in 41st minute. It was Northland’s Anna Thorpe who converted the penalty corner into a goal. In the 62nd minute,
the Kiwis doubled their lead, again Anna Thorpe, but this time a superb field goal with brilliant stick work. The Black Sticks team carried on with the same lead, but it was Japan, four minutes before end of the match, who scored the equaliser and managed
to draw the game. However, it was improved performance by the Kiwis as compared to their previous games.
“We really stepped up today and it was a good performance from all individuals, we distributed the ball much better, had more patience and made better decisions. Throughout the game, we had seven penalty corners to Japan’s three so we were not short of opportunities
to score,” Chris Leslie, the coach of Black Sticks Women’s Development team concluded after the match.
The next match of the five-match Test series will be played on tomorrow, May 29, at the same location while the final game will be on Tuesday, May 31. The host side is leading the series by 2-0.
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