Hockey: Black Sticks outgun Argentina in Gisborne

Anita Punts (Black Sticks) hits the ball. Photo / File.

The Black Sticks Women celebrated Gisborne's first ever hockey international in style with a 1-0 win over Argentina at the Harry Barker Reserve last night.

It was a hard fought battle with most of the game tied 0-0 before Olivia Merry broke the deadlock in the 47th minute after deflecting a crash ball from Petrea Webster into goal.

Both sides started slowly, but the Black Sticks gained momentum as time wore on and controlled the second quarter earning two penalty corners.

The second half belonged to the Kiwis, who created plenty of chances on attack while starving Argentina of any chances inside the Black Sticks red zone.

Head coach Mark Hager said the result was pleasing but there is still plenty to improve on as a team.

"We had a lot more goal scoring opportunities than them today but we couldn't put them away, and that's something we need to do better with," he said.
"We're looking to improve as we go forward towards the Hawke's Bay Cup and then of course World League Round 3 which is the most important one for us."

Playing in her 100th test for New Zealand, Webster said the result was a great way to bring up her milestone.

"It's really great to bring up my 100 with a win and hopefully I still have plenty more games to go," she said.

"We were quite aggressive and went forward with the ball, they had very few chances and a clean sheet for us is awesome. It's helpful to be hitting form now and hopefully we can build on it."