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USA Field Hockey News Netherlands wins AstroTurf March on Madrid Field
Hockey Tournament; Australia tops USA for third place Australia defeated the USA Field Hockey women 4-2 in the 3rd place game as the four teams prepare for the the Samsung Women’s World Cup, Sept. 27-Oct. 8 in Madrid, Spain. Argentina’s Luciana Aymar was named the Player of the Tournament and also took home Top Goalscorer honors after collecting five goals during the double round-robin event. The USA’s Amy Tran captured her third straight Goalkeeper of the Tournament honor after winning the award at last summer’s Rabobank Champions Challenge and last spring’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament. Australia 4, USA 2 The USA Field Hockey women saw another comeback bid cut short as Australia held on to defeat the USA, 4-2, in the third place game of the AstroTurf March on Madrid Tournament. After falling behind 3-0 early in the second half on field goals by Australia’s Karen Smith, Donna Lee Patrick and Nikki Hudson, the USA got back into the game when Keli Smith knocked in a penalty corner attempt in the 46 minute and Kelly Doton connected on a penalty corner blast five minutes later to pull the USA to within 3-2. It would be as close as the USA would get however as Hope Munroe sealed the victory for Australia when she nudged in a soft roller across the USA goal in the 56th minute. Australia got on the scoreboard in the 13th minute when Smith redirected a rocket from Angie Skirving past USA goalkeeper Amy Tran for a 1-0 Australia lead. Patrick gave Australia a 2-0 halftime lead with a goal at the end of the first half before Hudson put Australia up 3-0 just one minute into the second half. Australia completed a turn around in the second leg of the round-robin tournament going undefeated with a 3-0-1 record once the action switched from Maryland to Virginia Beach. Australia was winless in Maryland at 0-2-1 before reeling off an impressive series of wins against the USA and The Netherlands and drawing with Argentina. “This was an opportunity to showcase our younger players in preparation for Madrid,” said Australia coach Frank Murray. “The difference (in the results) is not so much what we’ve been doing, but what the opposition has done. Some of the near misses we had in Maryland went in down here.” The tournament provided the USA with a good look at the opposition for the upcoming World Cup. The USA will meet Argentina in the tournament opener on Sept. 27 and will meet Australia in the second game of the tournament on Sept. 28. The USA earned its first victory over Argentina in 16 years during the AstroTurf March on Madrid Tournament and earned a 1-1 draw with Australia during the first leg of the event. “It’s been fantastic for our build up to the World Cup,” said USA coach Lee Bodimeade on his team’s play at the tournament. “For our girls to get the experience of playing the top three teams in the world is fantastic. These are the teams that we are gauging ourselves against and I think the experience gained here will provide a pivotal step in how we do at the World Cup.” Netherlands 4, Argentina 2 The Netherlands’ Kim Lammers scored two goals in the final six minutes to break open a tight game and give the Dutch a 4-2 win over Argentina in the championship game of the AstroTurf March on Madrid field hockey tournament. The game may have provided a preview of next month’s World Cup final with The Netherlands entering next month’s championship as the No. 1 team in the world and Argentina ranked No. 2. With the score tied at 2-2, Lammers put the Netherlands on top with a low drag flick off the Argentina boards in the 63rd minute and then batted in a ball three minutes later to give the Dutch the victory and the tournament championship. The Dutch opened the scoring in the 10th minute of the game when Sylvia Karres connected on a field goal to give her team an early 1-0 lead. Argentina’s Alejandra Gulla tied the game 15 minutes later when she re-directed a Soledad Garcia pass into the Dutch goal in the 25th minute. The score remained tied until late in the first half when Maartje Paumen scored on a penalty corner drag flick in the 33rd minute. The Netherlands appeared to have control of the game when Argentina’s Augustina Bouza knocked in a ball past Dutch keeper Eveline De Haan to tie the match at 2-2 with 14 minutes left in the game. With time running down both teams pressing for the victory, The Netherlands’ Maartje Goderie earned a penalty corner to set up Lammer’s gamewinning heroics. The game was the final tournament action for both teams as the head to next month’s World Cup in Madrid. The Netherlands opens World Cup play against India, while Argentina will meet the USA.
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