KEY POINTS:
BEIJING - Coach Kevin Towns was a picture of frustration today, as the New Zealand women's Olympic Games hockey team slumped 1-4 to the United States, a game he had targeted for a win.
The loss crushed any prospect of the Black Sticks making the semifinals, dumping them to their fourth straight loss and leaving them a long last in Pool B.
Needing to win to hold on to a slim chance of a semifinal berth, the Black Sticks were 0-1 down after 35 seconds and 0-2 after five minutes.
The team did not have their minds on the job and did not play the tactics given them, Towns told NZPA.
"Right from the first whistle the girls weren't there, they weren't in the game," he said.
"It was a pretty clear game plan and we were miles away from it.
"It's pretty disappointing when you can put a fairly complex game plan together to play a (tough) team like Germany, and we step up, and when we play teams that we should beat we fail to respond to them.
"I've coached these girls for a long time and I've seen bits and pieces of this in the early stages, which I accepted as part of our development, but here it's a pretty difficult one."
A Lizzy Igasan goal from a penalty corner two minutes after halftime hauled New Zealand back into the match, only for the US to respond with two strikes in 10 minutes and open a three-goal lead.
Keli Smith scored twice for the US, with the other goals to Angela Loy and Kayla Bashore.
While the US had the better of the game, New Zealand had winning chances, and the US could thank goalkeeper Amy Tran for keeping them at bay.
Krystal Forgesson had two good chances, Kayla Sharland another, while striker Gemma Flynn rounded Tran in goal then failed to pull the trigger fast enough.
"When you have shots from wide angles, a good keeper's going to save them, so while she kept well, we had to keep her honest and we didn't," Towns said.
Even when the US were reduced to 10 players with Lauren Powley yellow carded in the 56th minute, New Zealand failed to take advantage, persisting with the long ball instead of close-quarter short passing attack.
Forgesson also drew the wrath of the umpires, being sent to the sinbin for a second indiscretion after 31 minutes, with New Zealand 0-2 down.
Towns was unhappy with her lack of discipline
"You can't do that sort of thing in international hockey, but that again is where a person's mind is at in the game, and our mind wasn't really where it needed to be."
Igasan told NZPA the players were having difficulty with the umpiring in Beijing.
"We you really put your heart out there, all you want is a fair game and you need to know where you stand, and at the moment we feel like our backs are against the wall with some of these calls," she said.
"It's not why we lost the game but it certainly makes for a long 70 minutes when you're not quite sure where you stand. We're trying."
- NZPA
