Hockey: Kiwis see some light in losses to Aussies

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The New Zealand women's hockey team were on the wrong end of a 0-3 whitewash against world and Olympic champions Australia, but it was not all gloom.

Solid second-half efforts in the second and third tests at Rosedale Park on Saturday and in Hamilton yesterday gave coach Jan Borren some hope his team will be competitive in next month's Champions Trophy in Holland.

"There is still a lack of confidence and we were a bit hesitant at times," Borren said.

"But we have to remember we were playing the best team in the world. They caught us out a little with their change in style.

"Under their new coach they now play a shorter passing game which means we had to make changes.

"We have lost the series, but we have to be positive about what we did well."

And that was finishing strongly.

In the second test in which they were crucified by arguably the world's best player, Australian midfielder Alyson Annan who scored three goals inside 13 minutes and added a fourth before the hour, the New Zealanders shared the second half, with both teams scoring once and the home side winning the penalty corner count 3-2.

Yesterday, Australia raced to a 3-0 lead at the break, but a stirring fightback by the Suzie Pearce-led New Zealanders saw the home side score the only goal of the second spell.

After surrendering the possession stakes by a wide margin in the first 35 minutes, New Zealand got that back to almost 50-50.

North Harbour defenders Lizzy Igasan and Paula Enoka had solid games, Caryn Paewai showed good form, Anne-Marie Irving made a couple of good saves, and Pearce and Anna Lawrence were inspirational..

Pearce scored both New Zealand goals in the second test in front of a big crowd at Rosedale Park, when she provided the final touch from two well-worked (and similar) penalty corners.

Yesterday, Penny Munns got on the scoresheet when she deflected a free hit through the goalkeeper's pads.

Australia were clearly superior in yesterday's statistics, with a 9-4 penalty count and 17 shots to three, but the plucky New Zealanders refused to give in. "The second half was very pleasing," Borren said. "Our players will have benefited mentally and physically from the series."

New Zealand, who should have Mandy Smith back and also hope defender Sandy Bennett will have recovered from a hamstring tear, play two warm-up tests against Germany before the Champions Trophy.

* A 1-1 draw against Belgium in the first of three post-section games at the World Cup qualifying tournament in Edinburgh continues to haunt coach Kevin Towns and his New Zealand team.

Victory in that game, and it was comfortably within their reach, would have spared them the overnight anxiety of having to go sudden-death with Canada for the last of the seven World Cup spots.

New Zealand could have spared Towns those worries had they beaten Japan on Saturday night.

After dominating much of the game and getting through a period before and after halftime when they were reduced to nine players with Simon Towns and Bevan Hari in the sinbin, New Zealand lost 0-1 when the Japanese scored a golden goal five minutes into the scheduled 15 minutes of extra time.

It was New Zealand's second defeat of the tournament - the other was 1-3 to eventual finalists Spain - and set up the crucial clash with Canada.

Argentina and Spain, the two highest scorers of the competition, will meet in the final after both scored convincing wins.

Argentina strolled past Belgium 4-2 and Spain thrashed Poland 5-1.

Three goals in a six-minute spell in the second half, including two from Juan Escarre, sealed victory for Spain.

Argentina dispatched the lacklustre Belgiums with ease, mainly thanks to a Mario Almada hat-trick.