HOCKEY: A late penalty corner drag flick from Jodie Kenny claimed the Hockeyroos a 3-2 victory at the 2015 Hawke’s Bay Cup after being deadlocked with Trans-Tasman rivals the New Zealand Black Sticks in the final minutes of the match on Sunday night.
Speaking after the match Hockeyroos Head Coach Adam Commens said, “It wasn't our prettiest performance tonight, however, ultimately it was a victory. I think tonight we learnt a lot about our team and where we need to be if we want to be consistently winning tournaments. A gold medal is what we came here for and we are satisfied with the final result tonight.”
There was no holding back for the Black Sticks during the start of the semi final, taking an early 1-0 lead after Kiwi Gemma Flynn found herself space running into their attacking circle, netting a quick on target goal one minute after the starting whistle.
After a steady second quarter, the Hockeyroos opened the flood gates 10 minutes after the halftime break. Awarded a penalty corner at the 40th minute mark, Georgina Morgan’s drag flick was quickly deflected past Kiwi goalkeeper Amelia Gibson and into the net by Hockeyroos forward Emily Smith, equalising with the Black Sticks, 1-1.
Four minutes after Smith’s goal, Brooke Peris was able to break down the 1-1 deadlock after Smith fed a fast paced ball onto Peris' stick, pushing them in front with the lead, 2-1.
Fighting back, the Black Sticks turned the score around within 60 seconds of Peris’ goal. Olivia Merry, showing her skill, worked the ball around Hockeyroos’ goalkeeper Ashlee Wells in the 44th minute and once again deadlocked the score with Australia, 2-2.
With robust defensive structures across both team’s, the Hockeyroos manage to successfully hold out the Black Sticks coming into the final 15 minutes of play.
Seconds remained on the clock and the match looked like it was heading towards a shootout scenario, however, the Hockeyroos still had more to give. Awarded a final chance to break the 2-2 tie with their opponents, the Hockeyroos received what would be a final opportunity at a penalty corner. Setting up a strong battery, world class drag flicker Jodie Kenny stepped forward, dragging the ball into the top of the net and securing the Hockeyroos a 3-2 victory and the 2015 Hawke’s Bay Cup title.
With the World League Semi Finals commencing in Antwerp in just over two months’ time, Commens gave insight into the type of squad his looking to select ahead of the Olympic qualifying event in June.
“It will be a similar line up to tonight. We have Anna Flanagan and Casey Sablowski to come back in and they are two world class players. They will hopefully strengthen our squad alongside developing our group that we have brought here to New Zealand, as well as some of our other players that have contributed throughout the tests against China to ultimately put forward our best 18 players.”
The Hockeyroos next big test will be the Olympic qualifying event - the World League Semi Finals - held in Antwerp, Belgium from June 20 to July 5. As part of Pool B, the Hockeyroos will face Belgium, India, New Zealand and Poland in the hope to guarantee their place at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
HOCKEYROOS 3 (0)
Emily Smith 40 (PC)
Brooke Peris 43 (FG)
Jodie Kenny 60 (PC)
NEW ZEALAND 2 (1)
Gemma Flynn 1 (FG)
Olivia Merry 44 (FG)
HOCKEY AUSTRALIA (modified)
