Hager wants aggression to stay
Coach Mark Hager has urged the Black Sticks to maintain an aggressive style following their stunning quarter-final upset victory over Argentina in the World League Final in Auckland.
New Zealand’s women’s team beat the competition’s reigning champions 2-1 on Wednesday night and face the winners of last night’s last-eight encounter between England and the United States in today’s semifinal at North Harbour Hockey Stadium.
Hager’s Black Sticks finished bottom of Pool A following three first round defeats (4-0 v Netherlands, 2-1 v South Korea and 3-1 v USA) but all eight teams automatically qualify for the second round.
New Zealand in the quarterfinals were drawn against an Argentinian side that topped Pool B after beating China 3-0 and England 1-0 before then thrashing powerhouses Germany 4-1 in their final pool match on Tuesday.
But the Black Sticks overturned a 1-0 deficit thanks to goals in the 32nd and 33rd minute to Brooke Neal and Stacey Michelsen respectively before defending stoutly to clinch a semifinal place.
‘‘The girls stood up and basically did what we asked them to do. They did the hard yards, moved the ball, and made it hard for Argentina which was pleasing,’’ Hager said.
Hager praised their defensive effort against the Argentinians, who scored eight goals in three pool matches, but wants their attack to continue to flourish against either England or the USA.
‘‘We tend to play well in quarterfinals, but it’s now about getting that mental fortitude right for the semifinal,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve got to come out with the same attitude where we’re aggressive on the ball and we want to attack - that’s our style.’’
South Korea beat Germany 3-1 on penalties in Wednesday night’s other quarterfinal after the scores were tied 3-3 and they’ll face either China or the Netherlands in the last four.