South Africa edges out Argentina 5-4 in first test of two-match series – Hockey Update
Gareth Carr notched the game winning goal in the waning moments of the regular time period, as the Men’s hockey team of South Africa edged out Argentina by a single goal, 5-4 in the first test of the two-match series that was played at the Kaspersky Park
in South African city of Johannesburg on Friday, September 16.
It was a brilliant show between the two squads who wanted to hold their worth over the field by winning the game. Both squads landed onto the field with a mission to destroy the defensive line of the opposite side. That was the motivation which took the
results to nine goals after the seventy minutes of play.
The fast paced game paid off for both the sides in the form of goals. With four minutes into the play, Matias Paredes drove the ball inside the D-line of South Africa and scored the first goal of the day to put his side ahead at the scoreboard. The game
further sped up after the maiden goal that ignited all the players to put extensive efforts to take the results into their favour.
Taine Paton of South Africa received the ball from Justin Reid-Ross, who deflected a number of defenders and volleyed a powerful shot into the goal to tie the knots at one-all. Julian Hykes, the player hailing from Amathole-Border, put the ball at the roof
of the net and doubled the tally for the home side. It was the time when the South Africans were working hard to down the visitors. After a few minutes of the second goal, Carr failed to convert the short corner that spread despair among the onlookers.
The situation did not remain the same for long and Tim Drummond took the ball under his stick. He pushed the ball into the D-line and hit a drastic shot into the goal for the third score of the game. In a matter of a few more minutes, Lloyd Norris-Jones
marked a goal from the field and took the score to 4-1. From the other side, Lucas Vila scored a goal from the field and reduced the lead down to two at the half-time, 4-2.
Lucas Rey and Rodrigo Vila helped each other and succeeded in earning the third goal for their team in the second half of play and decreased the advantage down to a single goal, 4-3. After Norris-Jones failed to get into the scoring, Vila made a brilliant
effort to make the score even at four-all. The two sides started some fast action in order to take a go-ahead goal.
Though the South Africans missed a couple of shorts corners in the waning minutes, they managed to score a goal in the concluding moments at the hands of Carr through a penalty conversion and won the match 5-4.
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