Arnott stars on Olympic debut for Hockeyroos

The Australian Women’s Hockey Team have delivered a statement in Paris firing a warning shot to their nearest rivals and cementing their spot at the top of Pool B dominating Great Britain 4-0.

The Hockeyroos went into the evening match at Stade de Yves Manoir in Colombes unbeaten, following their 2-1 win over South Africa in the opening match just 24 hours earlier.

Boosted by the return of rising star striker and NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete Alice Arnott, who was forced to miss the opening match due to injury, the Hockeyroos came out to dominate the first half.

The Willow Tree striker’s return paid dividends and fast as Australia fired on attack, connecting quickly, finding space and creating opportunities.

But it would be a powerhouse second quarter that would give the Hockeyroos all the momentum. 

Rebecca Greiner and Alice Arnott, both at their first Olympics, delivered to hand Australia a two-goal lead in less than two minutes.

In the fourth, Tatum Stewart stepped up to the penalty spot for the second time in as many games, safely delivering her all-too-powerful drag flick to secure a comfortable three-goal lead.

“I love the feeling of scoring and coming in for a cuddle with my teammates,” Tatum said post-match. 

“But it’s just part of my job. I’m going to make sure that I keep doing that for the team!”

As the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists scrambled to save the game, co-captain Grace Stewart found the back of the net with a great finish on a superb run by fellow NSWIS athlete Grace Young.

Australia held the world number seven team scoreless, claiming six points and charging ahead of the standings thanks to mixed results in the rest of Pool B.

“As much as we are happy with our performance, we know that the game on Wednesday could look really different,” Tatum said.

“We’ll take what we did well today forward into the next game as it’s good to know we can do those things properly. But we’re still looking at things we can improve.”

The Hockeyroos welcome a day off before taking on the USA on Wednesday, in what will likely be co-captain Jane Claxton’s 250th match.

Article courtesy of AOC