Japan staged a stunning comeback against Korea, overturning a 3-1 halftime deficit to win 5-4 in an action-packed match. Scotland secured their place in the FIH Nations Cup with a 2-0 victory over Canada, who now face a relegation battle. In the semi-finals, Ireland edged past the USA 2-1, while New Zealand triumphed over Chile in a tense shootout after a 1-1 draw. The Black Sticks will now face Ireland in tomorrow's final.
Japan 5-4 Korea
The first match of the day at the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup was action packed. For Korea it was almost a carbon copy of their first game of the tournament against New Zealand. Korea started off strong with two goals in the first quarter, a quick pull to the right and a low hard shot by Hyejin Cho opened the scoring, followed by a clever reverse sweep into the far corner by Sunghee Jung, put Korea up 2-1 in the first quarter. Korea continued to show dominance in the first half controlling the pace of the game, they entered the half with a 3-1 lead.
It was as if The Cherry Blossoms woke up in the second half, their team truly coming alive and playing together as a unit. They were able to fight back from their two-goal deficit to win the game 5-4. The Japanese team was ecstatic with their ability to come back and win, as stated by the player of the match, Rui Takashima: “This was a tough game today, but we continue to play hard so we can get the win!”.
©FIH/WorldSportPicsScotland 2-0 Canada
The second match of the day provided a scoreless first half, however the score line does not accurately portray the efforts of both teams. Canada was strong in defence, as they have been this entire tournament. The Wolfpack were able to hold off ten penalty corners in the first half, thanks to brilliant defensive efforts by Elise Wong and Sarah Goodman. The Canadians even had a chance to take the lead with a full team build up play from Thora Rae, down the line to Nora Goddard-Despot who swung it across the face of the goal to Natalie Sourisseau. Unfortunately, Mikayla Stelling missed the final touch which would have put Canada in the lead.
The second half is where Scotland took over the match, scoring two goals in the third quarter. Both goals were perfectly placed low and hard shots which whizzed past the Canadian keeper. Scotland finished out the match with this 2-0 lead, saving their spot in the FIH Nations Cup. Canada will have one more chance to fight off relegation in their battle against Korea tomorrow.
Sarah Jamieson (SCO) was extremely proud of her team after the match: “it feels really good, we had a really tough last game against New Zealand, and we were really disappointed after not making the semi-finals. So, the way we bounced back to win and play today was great, so really proud of the team for picking ourselves up and getting after it again”.
©FIH/WorldSportPicsIreland 2-1 USA
Ireland versus USA was a back-and-forth semi-final battle. The Americans brought the heat in the first half, forcing Ireland to concede their first goal of the tournament. Madeline Zimmer (USA) poached a pass off Ireland, and cruised into the circle, finishing the goal by smashing it into the far-left hand corner in just the 4th minute of play. Ireland managed to battle their way back to 1-1 at half by securing a penalty stroke scored by Roisin Upton.
The momentum seemed to shift in the second half, with Ireland creating more and more opportunities. Kathryn Mullan (IRL) received a bobbling ball at the top of the circle and used the bounce of the ball to breeze past two defenders and slot the ball into the net. This goal earned Ireland a spot in the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup Final to be played tomorrow.
Ireland keeper Ayeisha McFerran shared some thoughts post-game: “Yeah, I’m pretty happy! I think it wasn’t a great game it was a bit hairy at the end, USA brought it to us, so credit to them. But we came here wanting to get to the final, wanting to get to the Pro League so this is another step in that direction”.
©FIH/WorldSportPicsChile 1-1 (1-3 SO) New Zealand
After an electric end-to-end battle, the second semi-final of the day ended regulation time in a 1-1 draw, forcing Chile and New Zealand to face off in a shootout. The Black Sticks were able to come away with the win, after scoring three goals in the shootout, and Chile only scoring one. The Black Sticks were led in this shootout by experienced goalkeeper Grace O’Hanlon. O'Hanlon shared a few words post-match on her mindset when it comes to shootouts: “First, I would love to say that it was a fantastic match. I believe at the other end in the net, Natalia Salvador, amazing game from her and such an experienced player. A real icon of mine, so I wanted to quickly say that. Look, at shootouts, I am well experienced. I have done a lot of these, breath in, breath out, you know they have it all to play for and just relax let them do the work”.
The Black Sticks will now take on Ireland in the final.
To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup click here
FIH Women’s Nations Cup – 3 February 2025
Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped, Estadio Nacional, Santiago Chile
Japan 5-4 Korea
Player of the match: Rui Takashima
Officials: Megan Robertson (CAN), Lani Nichol (NZL), Allison Mikelson (USA – video)
Scotland 2-0 Canada
Player of the match: Ellie Mackenzie (SCO)
Officials: Victoria Pazos (PAR), Melissa Taylor (RSA), Lani Nichol (NZL)
Ireland 2-1 USA
Player of the match: Kathryn Mullan (IRL)
Officials: Cassidy Gallagher (AUS), Steven Bakker (NED), Federico Silva (ARG – video)
Chile 1-1 (1-3) New Zealand
Player of the match: Olivia Shannon (NZL)
Officials: Yoon Seon Kim (KOR), Allison Mikelson (USA), Zoe Hall (ENG – video)
