Black Sticks men one win from Paris Olympics
The Black Sticks men are one win away from the Paris Olympics.
They beat Canada 4-0 in Muscat, Oman, yesterday to advance from their pool as runners-up behind Germany on goal difference.
The top three at their eight-team tournament qualify for the Olympics, meaning the Black Sticks can secure a spot at Paris by winning either their semifinal against Great Britain tonight or the third-place playoff against Germany or Pakistan tomorrow.
The British were the only team to win all three group games in Oman, beating Pakistan 6-1, Malaysia 4-1 and China 6-0.
The Black Sticks were able to play with freedom yesterday, knowing they had already secured a semifinal spot thanks to Germany’s 3-0 win over Chile earlier the same day.
New Zealand required a 10-goal win to take top spot in their pool ahead of Germany on goal difference.
The opening goal was scored in the sixth minute when Scott Boyde was left unmarked on the wing and smashed the ball into the centre of the circle, with Jake Smith putting out his stick to direct the ball into the goal.
The lead was doubled five minutes into the second quarter when Isaac Houlbrooke ran into the top of the circle and slapped the ball into the backboard for his first international goal.
The Black Sticks added another two minutes later when Houlbrooke played facilitator from the wing, passing into Sam Lane, who whipped a reverse shot past the keeper.
Canada blew their best chance to score when they had a penalty stroke saved midway through the third quarter by Leon Hayward.
The Black Sticks added their fourth goal late in the third quarter when Boyde had a shot well saved but the ball fell generously to Hugo Inglis, who tapped it in.
● Meanwhile, the Black Sticks women beat the Czech Republic 2-0 in the first of two matches to determine fifth to eighth place at their Olympic qualifying tournament in Ranchi, India.
Captain Megan Hull said it was a difficult game to mentally “get up for”, after losing group games to India and the United States, and missing out on Olympic qualification for the first time since 1996.
The Black Sticks were frustrated for the majority of the match by the underdog Czech side.
The deadlock was broken three minutes from fulltime with a Katie Doar goal, while Sam Child added a second with a minute to play.
Their final match was the fifthplace playoff overnight against Italy, who they defeated in pool play 3-0.