Black Sticks lose in shootout heartache

The Black Sticks women will play for the bronze medal after a 5-4 loss to the Netherlands in a sudden death shootout at the World League semifinal in Brussels yesterday.

New Zealand went into fulltime locked up 1-1 with the world No 1 Netherlands following a field goal from Kirsten Pearce in the third quarter.

The Black Sticks looked to have snatched a famous victory, with Samantha Charlton scoring what would have been the game winner on the final attempt of the first round of shootouts.

While the Kiwis celebrated, the Netherlands called for a video referral, which showed Charlton’s shot crossed the line .2 of a second after the eight second clock expired and the call was reversed.

Both sides went shot for shot, until the Netherlands managed to snatch the result and progress to the final, where they will take on China.

Head coach Mark Hager said while the final result was disappointing, it was pleasing to see his side push the best in the world to their limits.

‘‘We were obviously looking for a win to go through to the final, but we knew that was going to be very tough against the Netherlands. ’’They’re ranked No 1 for a reason,’’ he said.

By making the top four at the World League semifinal, the Black Sticks have qualified for the 2018 World Cup in London. New Zealand also qualified for the women’s World League final in Auckland in November