As the Hockey World League Semi-Finals draw ever closer, the Hockeyroos and China have just completed a three-match series that leaves no-one the wiser in terms of who will be the form team going into the HWL semi-finals. The series finished in a draw, with both sides winning a match and drawing the third.
The Hockeyroos will be competing in Antwerp where the world number one side, the Netherlands, are among the teams they will face. China will be in Valencia seeking to challenge Argentina and the USA to the top spot.
China will take a lot of confidence from their opening match against the Hockeyroos. The Asian team got off to a flying start when Qiuxia Cui found the net from a penalty corner just two minutes into the game. The final scoreline of 4-1 reflected China’s clinical finishing at penalty corners, as well as their ability to defend stoutly and break at speed.
In the second match, it was again China who got off to the better start and after 12 minutes were leading from a well-worked field goal scored by Xiaoxue Zhang. Georgia Nanscawen scored the equaliser just before the half-time break, but again China’s defence proved its worth and despite a sustained Australian attack in the second half, the match remained at 1-1. Adam Commens, the Hockeyroos coach, said after the game that he was pleased with the way that new players had proven they could be competitive against high class opponents, and there were still a number of senior players to come back into the squad between now and the HWL Semi Finals.
In the final match, it was Jodie Kenny who proved her class when she slotted home two penalty corners in quick succession. These added to Mariah William’s 36th minute goal and gave the Hockeyroos a 3-1 victory over their Chinese rivals to tie the series. The game was two-time Olympian Teneal Attard’s 200th game in the green and gold strip.
Both the Hockeyroos and China continue their build-up for the HWL Semi Finals when they participate in an eight-nation tournament featuring many of the teams they will face in June. The Hawkes Bay Cup, hosted by New Zealand will feature Argentina, the USA, Japan, Korea and India.
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