Black Sticks earn spot in Olympics

A penalty corner rocket from the stick of Olivia Merry has won the Black Sticks women a series over powerful Australia and booked them an automatic spot at the Tokyo Olympics next year.

Merry’s strike with five minutes remaining clinched New Zealand a 1-1 draw with world No 2 Australia in game three, which was enough to win the Oceania Cup in Rockhampton, Queensland, yesterday.

More importantly the series victory on goal difference assured the sixth-ranked Black Sticks of another Olympic appearance while the Hockeyroos have to take a much tougher path to qualify.

It was another big result in Australia for the New Zealanders who beat their trans-Tasman rivals for gold in the Commonwealth Games women’s final last year on the Gold Coast.

New Zealand only needed a draw yesterday to clinch the Olympic spot after they won game one 3-1, before their hosts fought back with a 3-2 victory in game two. They were under pressure early when Australia opened the scoring in the second minute from a Mariah Williams deflection.

It remained at 1-0 for most of the match as the Black Sticks gradually stepped up the intensity knowing an equaliser was all they needed.

They had a golden chance but Rachel McCann couldn’t quite get a touch on a long shot.

Then Merry stepped up, drilling the shot low to the right to spark jubilant scenes among the women in black. It wasn’t over, though, and some stern New Zealand defence and a stroke of luck helped clinch it.