Hockeyroos Defeat USA

The Australian Women’s Hockey team are charging ahead in their Olympic campaign, holding the USA scoreless in a dominant 3-0 encounter ahead of a hotly-anticipated South American clash in Paris.

The Hockeyroos sit on top of the Pool B standings with eight points, all but ensuring them a favourable quarter-final berth after three wins from five.

Australia didn’t let late injury replacements affect their approach, as Hobart’s Maddison Brooks and Naracoote’s Hattie Shand, on Olympic debut, came in for co-captain Jane Claxton and Tatum Stewart.

Maddison’s late winner, with a sensational strike off a crafty period of team play, saw the Hockeyroos charge ahead to claim a 3-0 lead in the fourth, scoring her first Olympic goal in her maiden campaign.

Willow Tree and NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) striker Alice Arnott was again in the thick of it, setting Maddison up with a fine pass in the circle before the Tassie midfielder put it away.

It followed a fine first-half performance which saw Alice maintain a perfect goal-to-game ratio in Paris with a strike that sailed high over the keeper to see the Hockeyroos maintain a two-goal lead for most of the match.

“We do a lot of scouting of the goalkeepers before the game, so I know what to expect when I get the ball,” Alice said. 

“I knew she was going to dive and just placed it in the top of the net. You don’t get many chances, so you’ve got to make the most of them.”

Australia has only ever lost to the USA once in its history, an Olympic pool game in Rio in 2016. 

Renee Taylor at her second Olympics was out to ensure they wouldn’t repeat history.

Just a few minutes into the match, Stephanie Kershaw played quickly from the free hit in a period of dominance from Australia from the first whistle and it paid off. 

Renee, poised at the top of the circle, seized the moment to take the lead with a powerful strike to put the Hockeyroos ahead within three minutes.

“We started the game really well, and maybe got a bit tired towards the end,” Alice said. 

“But we held in there. We really stuck to our guns. It was a hard-fought win, but it was a good win, nonetheless.”

The Hockeyroos will look to back up their win, in a top-of-the-table clash against Tokyo Olympic silver medallists Argentina in a little over 24 hours.

Article courtesy of AOC