There’s no stopping us now, warns striker Lily

THE Great Britain women’s hockey team have quietly but effectively gone about their business in Rio, booking their place in tonight’s semi-final against New Zealand with six wins on the trot. The Team GB squad, bronze medallists four years ago in London, collectively agreed to enforce a social media ban during the Games, and are doing their talking on the pitch instead. Yet the emphatic nature of Monday night’s 3-1 quarter-final victory against Spain got even deadpan head coach Danny Kerry excited. Kerry said: ‘The reality is in the first half we absolutely creamed Spain. I’m very proud. Our defence was strong when it needed to be and we were just superb in the first half. But New Zealand are a very fast side. They’ve got a lot of pace and a lot of good goalscorers and it will be a hell of a game.’ Striker Lily Owsley, 21, added: ‘We’re not stopping now. It’s on to the next game. ‘We’re going to recover the same way, prepare the same way and we’re going to make sure we get that (semi-final) win.’ Tonight’s clash is a repeat of the semi-final at London 2012, which Britain won 3-1 to clinch their place on the women’s hockey podium for only the second time. But New Zealand’s quest for a first Olympic medal in women’s hockey will be buoyed by their 4-2 quarter-final victory over Australia. Gemma Flynn, the fiancée of former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, was among their goalscorers. New Zealand captain Kayla Whitlock said: ‘We can’t just rest on our laurels here and think, just because we had a good one in our quarter-finals, it’s going to happen in the semis. ‘If we keep playing the way we’re playing, then that’s going to get us through to that (gold) medal match.’