Hockey: Pearce joins NZ squad for Canada tests

Rachel McCann impressed while playing for New Zealand's under 21 team against India last year. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Former Australian indoor squad member one of two new caps for 3-match series

Kirsten Pearce took a circuitous route to the national hockey team.

Born in Cape Town, she arrived with her family in New Zealand at 5, moved to Sydney five years later and is now back having won a place in the 18-strong squad to play three tests against world No 22 Canada in Whangarei tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.

Pearce, a 23-year-old striker, is one of two uncapped players in the squad, the other being Canterbury midfielder Rachel McCann.

Pearce was part of the New South Wales team that won the Australian league title last year, having graduated from the under 18 and 21 state teams, and was in the Australian indoor hockey squad.

Coach Mark Hager gave Pearce an opportunity at the national camp in mid-January. He liked what he saw of a player he termed "an out-and-out striker".

"We were pretty impressed with some of the skill sets she brought. She scored a few goals, had a good connection with a few of the senior players and had good hockey knowledge," Hager said.

Pearce recently graduated from the Sydney University of Technology with a masters in management, and has been an events assistant in Sydney. She emphasises the importance of teamwork in analysing her game.

"I like to think I help others out a lot, expose their strengths. I'm a real team player, love to score goals and have a good striking mentality," Pearce said.

The versatile McCann was the standout player for New Zealand's under 21 team against India last year "by quite a long way, has a very good work ethic and brings attributes we like", Hager added.

The coach expects the fourth-ranked Black Sticks to win the series well but knows they will be a bit raw.

Black Sticks lineup
Anita Punt (c), Aniwaka Roberts (Capital), Kat Henry, Kirsten Pearce, Petrea Webster (North Harbour), Liz Thompson (Auckland), Georgia Barnett (Central), Sam Charlton, Gemma Flynn, Rose Keddell, Sally Rutherford, Natasha Fitzsimons (Midlands), Brooke Neal, Stacey Michelsen, Ella Gunson (tbc) (Northland), Pippa Hayward, Rachel McCann, Olivia Merry (Canterbury).