A horror second half has seen the New Zealand women's hockey
team slump to a 7-3 loss to Argentina in the opening match of
the Four Nations tournament in Cordoba today.
Goals from Cat Finlayson and Krystal Forgesson saw the Black
Sticks level 2-2 at halftime against the world's No 2-ranked
team.
But Argentina made the most of the second half, scoring five
goals when co-captain and defensive stalwart Kayla Sharland
was rotated off the field for the Kiwis.
Finlayson completed her brace in the second spell, but too
many defensive lapses cost the Black Sticks.
"Argentina hurt us big time on the counter-attack in the
second half. We were unable to hold onto the ball for long
periods, we didn't defend well and we weren't able to stop
their penalty corners from finding the back of the net,''
Black Sticks coach Mark Hager said. "Although we haven't had
international competition in the last three months, we can't
use that as an excuse. We still have to be more consistent
throughout the 70 minutes and really dig in and be more
competitive when it matters.''
New Zealand face Korea tomorrow at 11.30am (NZ time) before
they play Great Britain on Sunday at 9am (NZ time).
They then go to Rosario for the Champions Trophy where they
will meet Argentina again in their first game, on January 29.
Argentina 7 New Zealand 3 (Krystal Forgesson 2, Cat
Finlayson) HT: 2-2
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.