Black Sticks fall at final hurdle
WELLINGTON: The Netherlands beat New Zealand 30 to win the gold medal match at the women’s World League Final in Auckland last night.
The Dutch, who had hammered the Black Sticks 40 in pool play, proved too strong and too fast in a fierce final which they dominated after a scoreless first quarter.
The win was set up by a dominant second spell when the Netherlands slammed home two goals in the space of two minutes. First Kelly Jonker then Maria Verschoor punished New Zealand’s failure to clear its lines.
The Dutch ran riot through the midfield, amassing 13 circle entries to the Black Sticks’ three and unleashing five shots on goal to none in the opening 30 minutes.
Matters did not improve for the Kiwis after halftime, loose defence leaving Laurien Leurink wide open to add a third for the Netherlands after barely two minutes.
New Zealand finished the spell on a positive note, earning its first penalty corner of the match on the back of a strong run from midfielder Kelsey Smith.
But a nicely worked variation, with Ella Gunson teeing up Amy Robinson, flashed just wide and the Black Sticks went into the final break trailing by three.
They managed to create a few more chances in the final 15 minutes, but the Dutch defence held comfortably.
The win concluded a masterful tournament for the Netherlands at the eightnation event, as they cruised through six matches without conceding a goal while collecting 18 themselves.
It was a disappointing finish for the Black Sticks, who could not manage a win in pool play but went on to beat third ranked Argentina 21 in the quarterfinals and world No 2 England 10 in the semis. — NZN