Investec SA Smile after World League Finale

There was satisfaction for the Investec South Africa women’s hockey team in putting together a good performance in beating Spain 3-2 after leading 3-1 at half-time in the playoff for seventh and eighth places in the Investec World League Semi-Final tournament at Chiswick’s University of Westminster ground in London Sunday afternoon

(Read below of Australia’s comfortable victory over tournament hosts England to win the World League tournament).

After Spain had taken the lead in the eighth minute through Maria Romagosa, South Africa scored three times from field play through an excellent brace of goals by striker Lilian du Plessis in the 19th and 29th minutes before Kelly Madsen ensured the 3-1 half-time lead with her superb strike in the 33rd minute, which came two minutes before the break.

Spain pulled a goal back in the 66th minute from field play when Anabel Flores got her shot over the goalline and the final four minutes saw frenetic action but the 3-2 scoreline remained the same.

Reflecting on seventh place in a tournament where SA had set their sights on a top-four finish, co-captain Marsha Cox said consistency had been a problem. “We are happy to get our first win, but it has been a disappointing tournament for us, as the nature of these events means that you have got to perform in each match.”

In the Pool B round, world number four and World League finalists England’s 4-1 win over SA was “flattering” last Saturday, according to England head coach Jason Lee, then world number 11 South Africa had enough opportunities to beat world number 15 Spain last Sunday instead of the 2-2 draw, and had enough chances in their final Pool B encounter against World League finalists Australia last Tuesday, the world number six nation eventually winning 1-0.

It was effectively the draw with Spain that denied SA their wish of a quarter-final encounter against world number seven China rather than London 2012 Olympic Games silver medallists Argentina.

Yet in the quarter-final, SA ran world number two and London 2012 Olympic Games silver medallists Argentina close before losing 3-1. The frustration grew when world number 17 Italy beat South Africa 3-1 on a penalty shootout in the playoff for fifth to eighth positions on Saturday, this after the final score had read 1-1.

SA trailed at half-time in four of their six matches and while they did concede 13 goals in the six matches, it was their inability to net more than eight goals in the six matches that was their downfall.

Yet there were encouraging passages of play Sunday and it bodes well as South Africa now set their sights on qualifying for the World Cup, which will come to fruition should they win the Africa Cup in Nairobi, Kenya in the first week of October.

In the tournament final, goals by Ashleigh Nelson and Kellie White in the first half were complemented by Emily Smith’s strike with 10 minutes to go in a clinical performance in which the Hockeyroos were lethal in and around the strike zone, setting up gilt-edged chances that not even the outstanding England goalkeeper Maddie Hinch could repel.

Australia’s high press stifled any hope England had of creating sufficient attacking moves to win this match, their forwards in particular cutting out any hope of quality ball to the England midfielders and forwards.

With such a young group, nine new players since the Olympics and seven eligible for the Junior World Cup in Germany in July, the future bodes well for the Aussies.

The tournament results mean that Australia, England and bronze medallists Argentina have now qualified for the 2014 Hockey World Cup in the Hague, the Netherlands, in June next year.

The team that finished fourth, China, join the top three in qualifying for the eight-nation women’s World League Final tournament that takes place in Argentina in December.

For the seventh-placed Investec South Africa women’s hockey team the focus now turns to the Africa Cup of Nations in Nairobi, Kenya in September/October, the winner of whom will qualify as the African continent’s representative at the 2014 World Cup in The Netherlands.

(With editing by gsport)