Kookaburras Move Top of Azlan Shah Standings
The Kookaburras defeated Korea 4-2 in their fourth Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match to move to the top of the standings.
With the win, the Kookaburras have 10 points and move above Great Britain who are sitting on nine points.
The Kookaburras had to fight hard for the win with the Koreans showing tremendous resilience and fight. The fast paced match was a good test leading into the top of the table clash with Great Britain tonight.
The Kookaburras took the lead in the eighth minute through Timothy Deavin. They doubled the advantage in the 12th minute when Mark Paterson scored.
Korea reduced the deficit through a goal by You Hyo Sik in the 15th minute and should have leveled the scores had Kookaburra goalkeeper Andrew Charter not pulled off a spectacular save from Yoon Sung Hoon in the 27th minute.
The Kookaburras took full advantage of the reprieve by scoring the third through Glenn Turner in the 34th minute, giving the Kookabuarras a 3-1 lead at half time.
The Koreans were undeterred and came out fast off the blocks in the second half and reduced the deficit to 2-3 in the 39th minute through Hyun Hye Sung who sent the ball through Charter’s pads.
The Kookaburras nearly scored their fourth had it not been for the quick reflexes of Korean keeper Lee Myung Ho in the 59th minute as he stopped the penalty corner attempt of Christoper Ciriello.
Paterson ended the Koreans hopes of an equalizer with a second goal at the 67th minute mark, giving the Kookaburras a safe lead 4-2.
– Hockey Australia
