It is final the day of pool play and the USA have gone undefeated rounding out their matches with a 4-2 win over South Africa. Their fate in the semi-finals will be decided tonight as Argentina play China (17:30 CET), while England has found their first win, 3-1, over Germany.
WOMEN Pool B: USA v South Africa 4-2 (1-0)
Much was resting on this game, with South Africa desperate to finish the pool round in fifth place or higher to give themselves a chance to contest positions well above their current FIH World Ranking (12). The USA, by contrast, were seeking three points to cement their place at the top of the table and put pressure on Argentina in the later pool B game this afternoon. Whoever finishes second in the pool will face the Netherlands, while the pool winner will face Australia.
WOMEN Pool B: Germany v England 1-3 (0-0)
The pool match between England and Germany had the hallmark of a game in which both teams knew they were only playing for pride and didn't want to take chances that might see them concede a goal. The first half was a turgid affair with both teams defending hard and showing very little innovation or attacking ambition. There were only a handful of shots from either team and these were dealt with well by both goalkeepers, Germany's Barbara Vogel and England's Maddie Hinch.
WOMEN Pool B: Argentina v China 1-1 (1-0)
Carlos Retegui created a remarkable moment of history by guiding two international teams to the semi-final stages at the Rabobank Hockey World Cup, with Argentina's women claiming a place in the last four only hours after the men had achieved exactly the same thing. Las Leonas reached the semi-finals of the women's competition thanks to a 1-1 draw with China, a result which guaranteed a second place finish behind USA, the surprise winners of Pool B in the final match of the tournament to be played at the wonderful GreenFields Stadium here in The Hague. All remaining World Cup matches will take place in the 15,000 seater Kyocera Stadium.
For more results, schedule, highlights and more visit the event website at Rabobankhockeyworldcup2014.com
