Hockey: NZ display spirit with gritty win

By DAVID LEGGAT

The Black Sticks get top marks for timing and determination after overturning a two-goal deficit to beat Germany and clinch the bronze medal at the Olympic qualifying tournament yesterday.

Having to recover lost ground in critical situations is nothing new for this New Zealand team. After the events of the last week, they'd fancy their chances of making it across a circus high wire blindfolded while juggling a couple of hockey sticks.

This was the third time in the tournament they have allowed the opposition a 2-0 lead and still got something from the game. This time a last-minute goal from Niniwa Roberts-Lang nailed a 3-2 victory.

The Black Sticks battled back to draw 2-2 in their opening game against Great Britain, which had a large bearing on both teams' respective Olympic ambitions - one is going, the other not - then bounced back to beat Ukraine 3-2, when a loss would have sent their Olympic dream into freefall.

It might have been a practice made perfect outcome for coach Ian Rutledge, who said his team had used that scenario in preparing for the tournament.

However he reckoned it was a comeback on the scoreboard rather than on the ground at Lloyd Elsmore Park yesterday.

"I felt we had a lot of opportunities throughout the game we didn't make the most of," he said, adding that he always believed the goals would come.

Statistically it was New Zealand's game - eight penalty corners to four, 24-14 in circle penetrations, 13-8 in shots on goal - but the world No 8 Germans were no pushover.

They went ahead in the fifth minute with an own goal from defender Rachel Sutherland, after goalkeeper Helen Clarke had blocked a shot and the ball bounced down on to her team-mate's foot and bobbled into the net.

The rest of the first half was generally even and entertaining, if lacking the real bite of last week's final pool game between the teams.

The Black Sticks had created a clutch of openings without success, and when Nadine Ernsting-Krienke nudged a second goal from close range two minutes in the second spell, the situation was grim.

Instead, inspired by captain Suzie Muirhead, the never-say-die Black Sticks stuck to the task.

They got back in the hunt when Muirhead scored from a penalty stroke, awarded after a goalbound shot was deflected off a German leg; and a minute later Jaimee Provan's close-range shot evened it up with 25 minutes left.

Provan scored again, only for it to be disallowed as she was a couple of centimetres outside the circle; Roberts-Lang banged a penalty corner into the net which was ruled too high before the winner came just as the crowd were preparing for sudden-death extra time.

Di Weavers slapped a low drive in from the right and Roberts-Lang deflected the ball into the corner.

In the overall context the outcome did not matter; both teams are off to Athens. But Rutledge reckoned ending on a high note was vital for his team.

"It was extremely important for our confidence. We've been putting good performances together without getting the results.

"But this builds the players' confidence and justifies the hard work we've been putting in."

None worked harder than Muirhead, off to her third Olympics, whose work in the engine room was inspiring throughout the tournament.

"She's the heart and soul of the team," Rutledge said.

"When we were a little flat in the first half she sparked us up. She desperately wanted to win and the other girls picked up on that. You could see they were tired but they put the effort in - all led by Suzie."

In the final, world No 11 Japan beat Spain world No 6 1-0, with a first-half goal from Naoko Saito, capping an impressive tournament.

The fifth and last games place went to Korea, who overcame patchy form to come right at the last, beating the United States 4-0.

Great Britain, disheartened at missing a trip to Athens, picked themselves up to beat Ireland 4-1 and Russia achieved their first win of the tournament, beating Ukraine 2-0 to finish ninth.