Kookaburras Cruise into World League Semi-Finals

The Kookaburras have cruised into the FIH Hockey World League Finals Semi-Finals after a 4-1 victory against Spain last night in Bhubaneswar, India.

The match was anyone’s for the taking up until the final quarter which saw the Australians assert their authority, sinking three un-answered goals.

After drawing all three of their previous pool matches, quarter-final MVP Matt Dawson said it was important that the team stuck to task.

“We obviously started a bit slow,” he said. “It’s always nice to build into the tournament. It’s good to get a win tonight.”

Finishing second in their pool, Spain broke away early, scoring the first goal of the match in the 22nd minute.

Determined, Kookaburras player Jeremy Hayward scored off a penalty corner with minutes left in the first half to level the scores heading into the main break. 

The third quarter was quiet on the goal scoring front from both teams, before the Australians ran away in the fourth, aided by a double from Blake Govers.

The final result reflected the pattern of the game as it was revealed that the kookaburras had 60 percent of the possession in their opposition’s half.

Australia now awaits results of other games which will determine whether they will face Germany or the Netherlands in the semi-finals. 

• Annika Lee-Jones