Hockeyroos into World Cup Final
The Hockeyroos are through to Saturday’s World Cup final after a thrilling semi-final with the USA finished with Australia taking victory, 3-1 in the shoot-out after a 2-2 draw.
They will meet the hosts, the Netherlands, in the final after the Olympic champions beat the defending World Cup winners Argentina 4-0 in the second semi-final.
The result ensures that the Hockeyroos will leave The Hague with a medal and gives them the opportunity to add a third World Cup gold to those won in 1994 and 1998.
Goalkeeper Rachael Lynch was one of the Australian heroines with three saves in the shoot-out while Kellie White, Georgie Parker and Jodie Kenny kept their cool to convert their efforts.
Before the match, Western Australian Institute of Sport athlete Jayde Taylor was recognised for reaching 100 appearances for the Hockeyroos. She was joined by WAIS teammate Ashleigh Nelson in the Hockeyroos line-up.
In a well contested opening half, White broke the deadlock two minutes before the half time break with a shot on the angle that took a deflection before finding its way to the back of the goal.
Kelsey Kolojejchick levelled for the USA 13 minutes into the second half as she rode a series of challenges before striking back for the 10th ranked team but tournament top scorer Anna Flanagan fired the Hockeyroos back in front five minutes later. It was Flanagan’s sixth penalty corner goal in the tournament.
With the contest entering its final stages and the Australian defence under growing pressure the USA snatched an equaliser with a shot from Kolojejchick that flew high off the body of Madonna Blyth beyond Lynch in goal. Australia immediately asked the umpire to review the decision but having lost their referral earlier in the game their appeals fell on deaf ears.
Afterwards, Hockeyroos Head Coach Adam Commens said, “I thought it was a typical semi-final. I think both teams came to play very hard and to play with a lot of energy, to try and win. I think in the first half we were a little disconnected but we still created a lot of opportunities. The second half…we started off quite well, we created a number of goal scoring opportunities.
“You wouldn’t expect a semi-final to be an easy match and it wasn’t, it was very close. I’m really proud the girls were able to get the result and to reach our goal of reaching the final. It’s been a long time since the Hockeyroos have been in a final of the World Cup or an Olympic Games. To do it now is off the back of some hard work over a number of years.”
When asked whether he feels the Hockeyroos belong back at the top of world hockey, Commens said, “I think we do. Whilst I have not been 100 per cent pleased with the way that we’ve played, and certainly wasn’t today, for us to not play at our best and to win matches and to reach a World Cup final says something about the ceiling we have.
“If your ceiling is here (up high) and you’re operating here (lower) but you still make the World Cup final, it shows the potential and capacity of this group is quite large. I think in the next two years you’ll start to see some pretty exciting matches from our group.”
Lynch was the busier of the goalkeepers early on in a first half that had only a handful of clear cut goal scoring opportunities. When it arrived, White’s goal was Australia’s first shot on target and came as the result of a quick breakaway by Emily Hurtz and Georgie Parker’s quickly taken free hit.
The second half burst into life with a string of early penalty corners. Jodie Kenny’s facemask thwarted the US on the first occasion and moments later Anna Flanagan was denied by American goalkeeper Jackie Kintzer at the other end. Rachael Lynch pulled off a good save from the USA’s second corner but the world number ten side was not to be denied and scored through Kelsey Kolojejchick who rode the tackles to equalise on 48 minutes.
Australia responded well to the set-back with Emily Hurtz forcing a penalty corner and the tournament’s top scorer Anna Flanagan kept her cool to fire the ball low into the bottom corner.
Under increasing American pressure as the match entered its final ten minutes, Lynch was forced to make save before Michelle Vittesse lashed a powerful shot just wide of the Victorian’s goal. There was a string in the tail, however. With just two minutes remaining Kolojejchick fired USA level at 2-2 to force the match to a shoot-out.
In the shoot-out, Lynch saved from Katie O’Donnell, Paige Selenski and Michelle Kasold with only Kolojejchick finding the target. Hockeyroos captain Madonna Blyth’s effort was saved before White, Parker and Kenny all successfully held their nerve to put the Hockeryoos into Saturday’s final against either the Netherlands or Argentina.
Lynch spoke after the shoot-out, saying, “It’s just relief I suppose. There’s so much adrenalin in the one-on-ones. I’m just really happy the girls were so solid and just got the job done at the end so really rapped.
“I thought we were ok at 2-1 and were going to take the game out but these things happen. We practice these so much for this reason so we were really confident with the girls and that gives me so much confidence. I know I just have to save a couple and we’ll win. It went well today. [I’m] just so happy.”
-HockeyAustralia
