New Zealand trounces Australia by 3-2 at the 2011 Rabo Champions Trophy
New Zealand women gave a memorable defeat to the Hockeyroos by 3-2 in the 2011 Rabo FIH Champions Trophy yesterday, on June 26, which was played at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands.
In the opening minutes of the first half, Australia was dominating the game. In the eighth minute, the Hockeyroos received their first penalty-corner, but the Black Sticks' goal-keeper, Bianca Russel, let down their attempt.
This led to a counter-attack from the New Zealand's side, when Katie Glynn dribbled her way into the defensive circle where she hit a shot on the right bottom of the goal that failed to be blocked by the Australian goal-keeper, Toni Cronk, opening scores
with a one-score lead for the Black Sticks at 1-0.
In the very next minute, New Zealand’s Cathryn Finlayson rushed from the right and hit a pass towards Glynn, who pushed the ball towards Krystal Forgesson, making it a perfect second goal for the team.
Soon, the Hockeyroos made a comeback into the game, playing at offence when they received two penalty-corners back-to-back. However, Russel made two brilliant saves and kept her team's lead at 2-0.
Australia received a total of four penalty-corner awards during the first half yet failed to convert any until half-time, closing the scores at 2-0.
In the 44th minute, Charlotte Harrison shared a quick pass to Finlayson, who found the goal open and struck a shot into the net, advancing their lead to 3-0.
Despite the extended trail of three goals, the Hockeyroos did not lose hope and opened up with their first score made by Jade Close from a pass thrown by Renee Trost in the 52nd minute.
With just six minutes left in the game, Australia’s Casey Eastham made a fine shot, reducing their trail by 2-3.
It almost seemed that the Hockeyroos will make it with an equaliser, soaking pressure in the last five minutes with an aggressive offence; however, they failed to do so, closing the match with a win for the Black Sticks at 3-2.
This was the first time that New Zealand defeated the Australian women in the Champions Trophy and the winning team’s coach, Mark Hager, was very pleased with their improvement.
He commented, “We are here to see how we are tracking against the best teams in the world and we knew that if we played well today we could come away with a win.”
On June 29, New Zealand will come face-to-face with the host, Netherlands in the Champions Trophy 2011.
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