Clean sweep for Black Sticks
THE New Zealand women’s hockey team completed a clean sweep of their test series against India with a resounding 6-2 win in the fifth match in Hamilton yesterday.
Comfortable winners against their 12th-ranked visitors in three of the first four matches, the world No 5 Black Sticks reinforced their ascendancy with another sound display at the Gallagher Hockey Centre.
There was a glimmer of hope for India when they pulled their way back to 3-2 down early in the third quarter, before a three-goal burst in five minutes from the hosts put the result beyond doubt.
Experienced striker Olivia Merry scored a first quarter double for New Zealand, while Pippa Hayward, Natasha Fitzsimons, Sam Harrison and Kirsten Pearce also picked up goals. The Black Sticks had an enlarged squad of 26 for the series, to give as many players as possible a chance to prove themselves ahead of the important World League Semifinals in Brussels at the end of next month, and assistant coach Sean Dancer was largely satisfied with what they had got out of the five games.
‘‘As a coach you’re never 100 percent happy so there are certainly areas we need to get better at, but I thought the performance today highlighted some positive things we’ve been working on,’’ said Dancer, who stepped in as head coach for the series in the absence of Mark Hager.
‘‘To their credit India were tough today, but a couple of our goals scored were scored through strong striker actions and that’s very pleasing.
‘‘India came out and hammered us in the third quarter but we’ve been working on how to handle those situations and it’s pleasing that we came back and scored another three goals.’’
New Zealand started well and were ahead after just four minutes, Merry sending a strong shot across the face of goal and past the goalkeeper.
Merry made it 2-0 just before quarter time after receiving a great pass on the run from Tessa Jopp and although India struck back from a penalty corner midway through the second quarter, Hayward ensured the buffer was back out to two by halftime when she smashed a shot home from the top of the circle.
India kept themselves in the game early in the second half, pulling another goal back with a nice finish from captain Rani, but the Kiwi team’s response was emphatic.
The Black Sticks squad for the tournament in Brussels is set to be named early next week.