Hockeyroos Suffer First Defeat
The Hockeyroos have suffered their first defeat in Beijing, going down to fellow hockey powerhouses The Netherlands 2-1.
Western Australia’s five representatives (Kim Walker, Emily Halliday, Hope Munro, Kobie McGurk and Shelley Liddelow) all took part in the match which the Dutch controlled for the most part despite Australia scoring first.
It was Sarah Young who put the Hockeyroos in front halfway through the first half, with a field goal in the 17th minute.
The lead only lasted three minutes when The Netherlands hit back through a penalty corner to Maartje Paumen. The scoreline remained the same for the final 15 minutes of the first half, the two teams tied at 1-1 at the break.
Paumen was in the thick of the action again 11 minutes into the second half, with her second goal again coming from a penalty corner and handing the Dutch the lead.
Frank Murray’s side was unable to respond on the scoreboard and at the end of the 70 minutes the Dutch secured a 2-1 victory.
Australia must now defeat a tough Chinese outfit on Monday to secure their passage through to the semi-finals.