Nelson Hattrick Puts Hockeyroos on Verge

The Hockeyroos appear on target to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, winning their second game of the World Cup Qualifier event against Malaysia 9-0 in Santiago, Chile this morning.

The win sees them sit undefeated on top of the points table, it would take surprise losses to either Ireland (rank 15) or Scotland (rank 23) in their last two matches to see them moved from the top of the points table.

The 9-0 victory has delivered another huge confidence boost to the Hockeyroos, with Australia controlling the entire match from the opening whistle.

While goal scoring has been an issue for the Hockeyroos in recent time that wasn’t the case today, with Ashleigh Nelson and captain Madonna Blyth scoring three goals each.

After generating three penalty corners with no result in the first three minutes of play, it was Nelson who eventually converted Australia‘s first goal of the match via a penalty corner deflection at the four minute mark.

The Hockeyroos were relentless in their attack during the early stages of the match, however some good defensive work from Malaysia saw them keep Australia at bay.

Eventually the class of the Hockeyroos proved too strong, with Blyth scoring Australia‘s second goal at the 25 minute mark following a combination between Kate Hollywood and Ashleigh Nelson to extend the Australian lead.

The Hockeyroos continued to dominate the half, scoring twice more via Blyth and Hollywood to set up a commanding 4-0 half time lead.

With their confidence high the Hockeyroos took to the field determined to continue their momentum after half time. It didn’t take long for the trend to continue, with Nelson scoring her second goal of the match at the 40 minute mark.

When veteran Nicole Arrold converted a penalty stroke at the 44 minute mark the game was put beyond complete doubt.

Australia continued to pressure Malaysia‘s defensive zone with great passes, always having more numbers near the ball. Australia‘s fitness shone through as the game went on, with Malaysia beginning to tire. This resulted in complete domination in the second half, with the Hockeyroos scoring three more penalty corners to walk away convincing winners.

The Hockeyroos will next play Scotland on Saturday 1 May at 2.00am EST.