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South Africa tops US Field Hockey Women, 5-2, in Opening Game of New Training Facility

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Pietie Coetzee scored two goals to lift South Africa to a 5-2 victory over the U.S women’s national field hockey team in the final match of a four-game tour between the two teams.

      A long time US nemesis, Coetzee put South Africa on top early in the game with a goal off a penalty corner in the eighth minute, and added another goal in the 61^st minute in field play. Coetzee had broken U.S. hearts before with a pair of goals at the 1998 World Cup to help South Africa beat the U.S. at field hockey’s premier event.

      The match also marked the opening of the U.S. team’s new training facility at Virginia Beach where the teams met on the main field of the two-field artificial turf complex.

      “The tour’s been great,” said U.S. captain Tracey Fuchs, whose team went 0-3-1 in the four game series with South Africa. “Anytime we get to go and play in front of our home crowd and have the young people come out and watch, it is so good for field hockey in this country.”

      While the team enjoyed the support of 1,470 of its biggest fans, the team was a big fan of the new field.”

            “The field’s going to be great,” said Fuchs. “It’s a bit slippery right now because it’s so new, but as we keep playing on it, it’s only going to get better.”

      South Africa jumped out to a 2-0 as Julia Henry weaved her way to the top of the US circle and fired a shot past diving US keeper Peggy Storrar at the 31^st minute.

      The U.S. answered back at the 53^rd minute when Jill Reeve blasted a penalty corner past South Africa keeper Caroline Birt to pull the U.S. within 2-1.

      With the momentum swinging back to the U.S. side, Coetzee again rallied the South Africa side with a field goal in the 61^st minute.

      With the vocal crowd behind it, the U.S. fought back to within 3-2 on Carla Tagliente’s third goal of the series with three minutes left in the game.

      However the U.S. was victimized by last minute goals for the third time in four games as Kerry Bee and Candice Forward added back to back goals as time expired.

      “It’s been fantastic,” said South African coach Ros Howell of her team’s U.S. tour. “The country’s beautiful at this time of the year. It’s been wonderful to have the support of kids here watching their national team play, and it’s just been great for us It’s the South African side’s first time out since the Olympics, my first time out as coach, andd we counldn’t have asked for a better place.”

      South Africa won two of the first three games in the series, winning 4-3 in a thriller at the Univ of Connecticut, Oct. 14 and 3-0 at Springfield College, Oct. 16. The two teams played to a 0-0 draw in the first game of the tour, Oct. 13 at Boston College.

            South Africa is currently ranked 10^th in the world following its 10^th place finish at the 2000 Olympic Games. The U.S. is currently ranked 11^th in the world.       

US Field Hockey National Training Center , October 20, 2001

South Africa 5, USA 2

RSA: Pietie Coetzee (pc, 8:00)

RSA: Julia Henry (fg, 32:00)

USA: Jill Reeve (pc, 53:00)

RSA: Pietie Coetzee (fg, 61:00)

USA: Carla Tagliente (fg, 67:00)

RSA: Susan Wessels (pc, 69:00)

RSA: Candice Forward (fg, 70:00)

Cards: USA Tracey Fuchs (Green, 60); RSA Joke Koornhof (Green, 15), Pietie Coetzee (Green, 68)

USA Starters: Mimi Smith, Kristen McCann, Peggy Storrar (gk), Tara Jelley, Kelli Gannon, Tracey Fuchs, Melanie Meerschwam, Katie Kauffman, Jill Reeve, Natalie Dawson, Carla Tagliente

SUBS: Kim Milller, Antoinette Lucas

South Africa Starters: Caroline Birt (gk), Carina Van Zijl, Candice Forward, Jonke Koornhof, Sophie Mayer, Lindsey Carlisle, Kerry Bee, Pietie Coetzee, Julia Henry,  Luntu Ntloko, Susan Wessels

SUBS: Jenny Wilson, Melinda Vos, Marsha Marescia