Lee Bodimeade pleased with USA performance: Hockey News
With USA’s remarkable win over the unbeatable Scottish team by 3-0, at the 2011 Electric Ireland FIH Champions Challenge 1 semi-final match, held in Dublin on June 25, the finalist team’s Head Coach, Lee Bodimeade was pleased with the team’s fine improvement
since standing last in the pool rounds.
The first half of the match closed at a scoreless draw at 0-0 which was a head-to-head fight from both the sides. However, USA conquered the next 35-minute half with complete domination and control and ended up with a three-goal solitary lead.
Bodimeade believed that his team had not taken any scoring chances, despite dominating the first half for a long period. He also praised the Scottish goal-keeper, Abi Walker, who made some tremendous saves for her team. Bodimeade continued that as the team
started availing their chances during the second half, it turned fruitful.
He commented, “We knew the final three matches were the ones that counted and coming away with wins determined our success in the tournament. We are pleased that we have been able to achieve that. Playing the way we have been in the end is critical to our
success.”
In context with the day’s previous semi-final match played between Japan and Spain, in which the Japanese trounced the Spaniards by 3-2, Bodimeade remarked that we expected Japan to reach near the finals, being a strongly ranked team, but is has become more
important as our team has reached there.
With the final face-off against Japan, one of the American players, Shannon Taylor expressed the excitement to meet the Japanese once again in the competition. She said that though their team opened up slowly at the tournament, it reached where it really
matters.
On the other hand, Scotland’s Head Coach, Gordon Shepherd, also commented over his team’s performance in an interview with the media.
He remarked, "I was happy with the way we played in the first half and to be level at half time was a reflection of how close the match was. However, the USA showed their class and stepped it up after the interval, scoring two good goals. It was an important
match for us, but I honestly felt Wednesday's win against Azerbaijan was just as important for getting us into the top four and avoiding the bottom four places."
Shepherd was happy that the players gave a tough fight to USA, ranked at eighth in the international rankings, which stands above the Scottish team’s ranking. He highlighted the fact that his team had over-exceeded the expectations all had from them.
Scotland still has an opportunity to clinch the bronze-medal in the play-off match against Spain, on June 26.
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