Wins for New Zealand, Netherlands, Australia and Argentina
100 cap celebrations for Sally Rutherford and Helen Richardson-Walsh
Umpire Michelle Joubert awarded golden whistle
Guest appearance by local heroine Luciana Aymar
The Argentina Hockey World League Final in Rosario got off to a sparkling start, not solely for the hockey, but also for the razzmatazz surrounding the appearance of local heroine Luciana Aymar at the Estadio Mundialista de Hockey pitch.
The opening goal of the tournament was a cracker from New Zealand’s Pippa Hayward, who smashed the ball past Jang Soo Ji in the Korean goal to give the Black Sticks an early lead. The Black Sticks extended their lead through Kirsten-Leigh Pearce and then Gemma Flynn made it three.
Seo Jung Eun scored a consolation goal for Korea. Black Sticks goalkeeper Sally Rutherford celebrated 100 caps for her country.
In the second Pool A match, defending champions Netherlands beat Germany 5-1, with goals from Maartje Krekelaar, Lidewij Welten, Kitty van Male, Ellen Hoog and Eva de Goede. Germany responded with a goal from Lydia Haase.
This game was also a celebration for umpire Michelle Joubert of South Africa. She was awarded the golden whistle for 100 international games. The award was presented by FIH representative Maureen Craig-Rosseau.
China and Australia played out a close match in the opening Pool B match as they played expansive hockey, with quick counter-attacks and strong tackling, but ultimately few goal scoring opportunities. Georgina Morgan scored the second goal of her senior international career to give the world number two side the win.
A tough, feisty encounter between the host nation Argentina and Great Britain was a fitting finale to the first day of competition at the Argentina Hockey World League Final. While the world number three side emerged as winners, this was a close encounter with little quarter given by either team.
Great Britain’s Susannah Townsend opened the scoring in the fifth minute, but that lead was quickly wiped out when Maria Granatto equalised for Argentina in the 15th minute.
The winning goal came from Agustina Habif, who batted in a rebound off Maddie Hinch’s stick.
Day One Results:
Pool A
New Zealand v Korea 3-1 (1-0)
Netherlands v Germany 5-1 (2-1)
Pool B
Australia v China 1-0 (0-0)
Argentina v Great Britain 2-1 (1-1)
Argentina Hockey World League Final 2015 (Women)?
When: Saturday – Sunday 13 December 2015
Where: Estadio Mundialista de Hockey, 1635 St., 200, Rosario-Argentina
Who: Netherlands, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Germany, China, Great Britain, Korea
Event website: click here.
Match schedule: click here.
How the teams qualified: click here.
Format
The event features two pools of four followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals, classification and medal matches. Following the round robin, the top four teams in each pool will move into the crossover quarter-final phase, with the pool winners meeting the fourth-placed team from the opposite pool. The #2 and #3 finishers will also face-off in the knock-out quarter-final. The winners of the quarter-final matches will move into semi-finals and the medal games, with the losing teams playing for placement.
The event features two pools of four followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals, classification and medal matches. Following the round robin, the top four teams in each pool will move into the crossover quarter-final phase, with the pool winners meeting the fourth-placed team from the opposite pool. The #2 and #3 finishers will also face-off in the knock-out quarter-final. The winners of the quarter-final matches will move into semi-finals and the medal games, with the losing teams playing for placement.
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