Hockey: NZ given wake-up call for Olympics

By SUZANNE MCFADDEN

A bit of argy-bargy last night reminded the New Zealand women's hockey team that the Olympics - just a week away - will not be pretty.

The New Zealanders lost 1-2 to an aggressive Argentina at Albany, a reversal of fortune from the first test two days before.

The home team, ranked sixth for the Olympics to Argentina's fourth, were blatantly disappointed when they trudged off the turf.

But coach Jan Borren was quick to remind them they had just played a typical Olympic-style match.

"It was very tight, and much more physical than before," he said. "And that's what we will get in Sydney.

"But I wasn't too unhappy. We have struggled against Argentina in the last couple of years - we've had some quite bad losses. But we competed well this time."

New Zealand's main concern last night was probably not so much on the field, but on the bench where star forward Anna Lawrence sat for most of the test.

Borren said the former captain had been suffering from a stomach bug through the day and attempted to play in the second half, but lasted less than 10 minutes.

She could be a doubtful starter tonight in the third and final test at Pakuranga.

New Zealand captain Kylie Foy admitted her team's frustration at last night's result - even though they were just one goal away from a higher-ranked team.

"It was a loss," she said. "But Argentina really came out firing tonight."

The Argentine guns were blazing from the outset, when veteran forward Paula Karina Masotta scored in the second minute.

The stunned crowd were hushed for the rest of the first half, as New Zealand struggled to contain the Argentine assault.

Argentina's strikers ranged around the New Zealand goal-mouth waiting to pick up expertly placed long passes by their own defenders from the other end of the field.

New Zealand reappeared after the halftime break with more drive - speedy Moira Senior sparking a flurry of action down the left wing.

Within five minutes, Senior had scored, finishing off a dazzling run by Suzie Pearce through the middle.

But after three consecutive penalty corners, Argentina took the lead again through Vanina Oneto's direct strike. They were unlucky not to score again a couple of times towards the end of the game.

In patches, New Zealand failed to control the ball and their passing was sometimes off-target. But there were still heartening displays of speed and skill, like the trademark clever touches of Tina Bell-Kake.

The New Zealand men came agonisingly close to winning their first game in a hectic seven-test tour - drawing 2-2 with the Olympic-bound Argentine men.

With only a handful of minutes left in the game, New Zealand were up 2-1 from goals scored by new caps Phillip Burrows and Kieren Daji. But a deceptive low flick by Jorge Lombi tied the match.

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