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News for 21 April 2019

All the news for Sunday 21 April 2019


Shoot-out mayhem in Eindhoven as Mannheim, Waterloo, Polo and Rot-Weiss win


©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

The stage is set for a thrilling last two days of the EHL festival in Eindhoven as eight sides reduced to four with two German, one Spanish and one Belgian side will battle for the medals on Sunday and Monday.

All four KO8 ties were settled by passionate shoot-outs as Mannheimer HC, Waterloo Ducks, Real Club de Polo and Rot-Weiss Koln all reached a fresh-faced FINAL4 in the race to lift the Alain Danet Trophy.

Indeed, we are guaranteed two first-time medalists with only Rot Weiss having ever graced the podium before. It all came on the same day ABN AMRO confirmed they will continue to partner the Euro Hockey League until 2022, a partnership that has been ongoing since the very beginning of the EHL.

Mannheimer HC were the first side through to the FINAL4, getting there for the very first time after they won their German derby battle with Uhlenhorst Mulheim.

It was played at an outrageous pace from start to finish with Mannheimer bursting into a 2-0 lead and they also led 3-2 and 4-3 but each time, Lukas Windfeder forced Uhlenhorst back into the tie with all four of his side’s goals in a 4-4 draw.

Mannheim, though, went through when Guido Barreiros produced an excellent shoot-out goal to win the game.

Waterloo Ducks also made it through to the last four for the very first time with their second successive shoot-out win following a 1-1 draw in normal time against their Belgian rivals KHC Dragons.

In so doing, they became the sixth different Belgian side to reach the last four of the world’s best club hockey competition.

Real Club de Polo produced a perfect shoot-out series to advance to the FINAL4 for the first time since 2010 as they came back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 in normal time.

Goalkeeper Mario Fernandez kept out all three of the shoot-outs he faced while Roc Oliva, David Alegre and Javier Cabot all scored theirs for a famous win. It was an emotional success for coach Carlos Garcia Cuenca and his team after four defeats in the last five years at the KO8 stage.

Late in the day, Rot Weiss kept alive their hopes of a second EHL title in three seasons as they won an extraordinary KO8 shoot-out against AH&BC Amsterdam.

It means there will not be a Dutch side in the FINAL4 for the first time in the history of the Euro Hockey League while there are also two new medalists guaranteed with only Rot-Weiss having stepped on the podium before.

After a scoreless first half, the tie burst into life when Johannes Grosse and Christopher Ruhr put the German side 2-0 up only for Mirco Pruijser and Valentin Verga to score in the last eight minutes and earn a 2-2 draw.

The shoot-out went to the eighth round before the deadlock was broken where Ruhr scored to make it 6-5 and Victor Aly held his ground against Tom Hiebendaal to register the win.

The FINAL4 starts off on Sunday, April 21 with the meeting of Mannheimer HC and Waterloo Ducks at 13.00 CET. The second tie is on at 15.15 CET with Rot-Weiss Koln up against Real Club de Polo.

Every game will be streamed live on www.eurohockeytv.org while all the highlights and clips from the day will be posted on the EHL social media as they happen!

In Belgium, Eleven Sports will brodcast every game, too, via their website: https://elevensports.be

EHL 2018-2019 Match schedule KO16-FINAL4
17-22 April 2019 at HC Oranje-Rood, Eindhoven (NED)
Saturday 20 April 2019
KO8 matches
M13: Mannheimer HC 4 (L Vila 2, T Haase 2) Uhlenhorst Mulheim 4 (L Windfeder 4), Mannheim win shoot-out 4-2
M14: KHC Dragons 1 (D Uher) Waterloo Ducks 1 (G Boccard), Waterloo win shoot-out 3-2
M15: Club Egara 3 (L Mercade 2, J Romeu) Real Club de Polo 3 (D Alegre 2, R Oliva), Polo win shoot-out 3-0
M16: AH&BC Amsterdam 2 (M Pruijser, B Bakker) Rot Weiss Koln 2 (J Grosse, C Ruhr), Rot Weiss win shoot-out 6-4

Sunday 21 April 2019
M17 13.00h FINAL4 Mannheimer HC v Waterloo Ducks
M18 15.15h FINAL4 Real Club de Polo v Rot-Weiss Koln

Monday 22 April 2019
M19 13.00h BRONZE MEDAL MATCH
M20 15.15h GRAND FINAL

Euro Hockey League media release



Mannheim win mad-cap KO8 battle over German rivals Uhlenhorst Mulheim


©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

KO8: Uhlenhorst Mulheim 4 Mannheimer HC 4, Mannheim win shoot-out 4-2
Mannheimer HC are through to the FINAL4 of the EHL for the very first time after they won their German derby battle with Uhlenhorst Mulheim in a shoot-out.

It was played at an outrageous pace from start to finish with Mannheimer bursting into a 2-0 lead and they also led 3-2 and 4-3 but each time, Lukas Windfeder forced Uhlenhorst back into the tie.

It took just six minutes for Mannheim to take the lead as Lucas Vila got on the end of Philipp Huber’s cross. Timm Haase then made it two from a corner move as Gonzalo Peillat stepped away to the right as a distraction.

Windfeder tied the game up with two corners – in the 17th and 27th minutes – with some supreme power and it might have been even better but for Jan Schiffer’s volleyed effort being disallowed.

Vila restored Mannheim’s lead following a brilliant near post flick from a swift breakaway move via Danny Nguyen and Felix Schues.

Windfeder’s third drag came five minutes into the second half while Timm Herzbruch was being kept reasonably quiet by Linus Muller – albeit while picking up a green and yellow card for his troubles.

Haase got MHC back in front yet again with 10 minutes to go with a deflection from the top of the circle. Yet again, Windfeder found an equaliser from the set piece after a chain of three corners, making it 4-4 with seven minutes to go.

It meant a shoot-out where Mannheim scored a perfect four from four while goalkeeper Lukas Stumpf made two saves, securing a 4-2 success in the shoot-out.

“The news came up yesterday but I knew a few months ago that I wanted to stay in Mannheim,” Lucas Vila said a day after it was confirmed he has extended his contract for another year with the club.

“We have a really good team, strong coaches that work really hard and the team is always aiming for more. They were champions two year ago but we want more in the EHL.

“This game was like a rollercoaster; we started really well, going two goals up and we had to defend too much at the end. It was a nice game to watch – both teams played well and the shoot-outs always just go to the side who is a bit sharper!”

Euro Hockey League media release



Waterloo shoot to victory over Dragons to finally end their FINAL4 wait


©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

KO8: Waterloo Ducks 1 KHC Dragons 1, Waterloo win shoot-out 3-2
Waterloo Ducks won through to the FINAL4 of the EHL for the very first time with their second successive shoot-out win following a 1-1 draw in normal time against their Belgian rivals.

In so doing, they became the sixth different Belgian side to reach the last four of the world’s best club competition.

And captain John-John Dohmen says he will be happy enough for another shoot-out on Sunday when they meet Mannheim in the FINAL4.

“Haha, no, we are really confident in them!” he told the EHL website. “We know Mannheim is really good and it could go that way again and that is not a problem for us.”

The World Cup winner added that his side went through some crisis talks during the week following their shock 4-1 Belgian playoff defeat to Dragons last Sunday and it made the difference when they met this time.

“We did a really good season with Waterloo and then, in the playoffs, we completely messed up our game against Dragons in the first game.

“It was really hard mentally because we didn’t expect that so today we wanted to show something. It was really good today, especially the second half when we should have got 2-0, but it’s like that.

“We did a lot of meetings, talking honestly together. It was important to do it because while we see each other very often, we don’t always have the time to speak honestly. After the bad game, we had to do it and it was really important!”

Normal time ended 1-1 after a share of second half penalty corner goals with Gauthier Boccard giving Waterloo the lead only for Dominic Uher to level with four minutes to go.

There was precious little between the sides in the first half. The golden chance came just before half-time when a Shane O’Donoghue drag-flick hit Maxime Bertrand’s body on the goal line, leading to a penalty stroke.

Felix Denayer, however, was denied by the trailing leg of Vincent Vanasch to keep out the effort from his international team mate.

The second half saw Simon Gougnard open his legs to cause all sorts of problems and the Ducks were making the more threatening moves when Boccard struck.

They also went close to a second but for some crucial saves from Tobias Walter and Robbert Rubens clearing off the line.

Dragons never went away and they did start to win corners of their own down the final stretch and eventually found their path past Vincent Vanasch when Uher ripped in their goal.

It meant a second shoot-out for the day where Waterloo bounced back after conceding in the first round when Florent van Aubel scored and Boccard missed.

They scored from each of their next three while Vanasch continued his remarkable shoot-out run of performances for club and country, saving three times for a 3-2 victory.

And Dohmen says it is a special moment for his club to finally reach the FINAL4 after six previous campaigns ended with only one KO8 run and the others all ending in the KO16.

“Every time you play in the EHL, it’s a great time for the players and the public. The organisation is always perfect and the players are really excited to play the EHL even with the other events, it remains a big moment for hockey.”

Euro Hockey League media release



Polo produce perfect shoot-out as Garcia Cuenca hails incredible belief


©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

KO8: Club Egara 3 Real Cup de Polo 3 (1-0), Polo win shoot-out 3-0
Real Club de Polo produced a perfect shoot-out series to advance to the FINAL4 for the first time since 2010 as they came back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 in normal time.

Goalkeeper Mario Fernandez kept out all three of the shoot-outs he faced while Roc Oliva, David Alegre and Javier Cabot all scored theirs for a famous win.

Normal time was a slow burner in the first half as Polo missed the services of Xavi Lleonart to give them that creative spark. Egara took the lead in the ninth minute when Xavi Gispert showed some lovely skills to win a penalty corner which Josep Romeu whipped home down the glove side.

Gispert was against central to the second as he worked a crossing chance down the left wing. It should have been dealt with by Roc Oliva but it bounced up instead into the path of Lluis Mercade who volleyed home on the run for 2-0.

Polo got one back via David Alegre after Borja Llorens powered forward and delivered the ball into the circle.

Again, Egara came forward with Romeu breaking out of defence to get to the baseline where he got the ball through the defences of Mario Fernandez and Mercade was again in a position to profit, making it 3-1.

Polo were not giving up easily and they got another back via Roc Oliva from an elaborate penalty corner routine, sweeping in from the right side of the circle.

That was with nine minutes to go and just a couple of minutes later, Alegre equalised when he peeled away and, off his back foot, fired in a strong shot by Quico Cortes.

It earned Polo their playoff shot and ended a sequence of four exits at the KO8 stage in the last five years.

For Polo coach Carlos Garcia Cuenca, it means a FINAL4 place in what will be his last EHL of his seven-year tenure as coach as he steps down in the summer.

“It’s magic! For me, it’s amazing because we fought to be here. I think Polo has deserved to get to the FINAL4 in the last few years at least one time, maybe more. It’s difficult for a team from the Spanish league because the level is different to the big leagues.

“We believed all the time, all through the bad moments, believe, believe, believe and finally we are here.

“I don’t know how to describe my feelings other than I am just happy! It’s special for me in my last year; my players gave me all of their bodies and their souls. Happy for them, the club, everybody!”

Euro Hockey League media release



Rot-Weiss keep alive hopes of second EHL title with thrilling shoot-out win over Amsterdam


©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

KO8: Rot Weiss Koln 2 AH&BC Amsterdam 2 (0-0), Rot Weiss win shoot-out 6-5
Rot Weiss kept alive their hopes of a second EHL title in three seasons as they won an extraordinary KO8 shoot-out against AH&BC Amsterdam.

It means there will not be a Dutch side in the FINAL4 for the first time in the history of the Euro Hockey League while there are also two new medalists guaranteed with only Rot-Weiss having stepped on the podium before.

After a scoreless first half, the tie burst into life when Johannes Grosse and Christopher Ruhr put the German side 2-0 up only for Mirco Pruijser and Valentin Verga to score in the last eight minutes and earn a draw.

The shoot-out went to the eighth round before the deadlock was broken where Ruhr scored to make it 6-5 and Victor Aly held his ground against Tom Hiebendaal to register the win.

The first half was a cagey affair with both sides trying to figure each other out. Pruijser’s rising reverse-stick shot into the side netting was the pick of the early action while Thies Prinz and Antheus Barry made some super baseline runs.

The second half opened up with Mats Grambusch controlling the tempo and Timur Oruz in particularly strong form. Rot-Weiss opened the scoring from a corner, brilliantly worked to Ruhr and then on to Grosse to sweep in from the injection zone.

Justin Reid-Ross clattered the bar with his first corner drag-flick and Aly held out another before Ruhr put the Germans two up in glorious fashion. His clever skills got him away from his marker before exchanging passes with Marco Miltkau and finishing beautifully.

But Amsterdam showed their fighting spirit and got a lifeline when Pruijser unleashed a vicious shot to beat Aly from the left of the circle. Verga then pounced on a loose ball fro Jan-Willem Buissant’s crash ball to make it 2-2 with six minutes left.

Rik van Kan could have won it soon after when he was through all on his own but Aly held him up enough to snuff out the chance.

It led to the fourth shoot-out of the day and it was a high-quality one with the first five ending in a 4-4 draw. The drama continued with both sides missing in round six and scoring in round seven. Ruhr kept his nerve to rebound his own shot for 6-5 before Aly kept out Amsterdam’s eighth shoot-out for the victory.

“It was a very intense, very hard game; both sides had so many chances but we are just so happy we won it in the end,” player of the match Thies Prinz said afterwards.

“We were up 2-0 and then the draw so the emotions were very high but I am just so happy that we won! I am just too happy too talk!”

Euro Hockey League media release



Hockey ace Stacey Michelsen on the Aussie clash, that flick, cycling with Sam Webster

By Chris Rattue


Stacey Michelsen...captain fantastic closing in on test record. Photo / Getty Images

Stacey Michelsen, who leads the Black Sticks against Australia in Thursday's Anzac hockey test, is on target to become New Zealand's most capped player during the Pro-League in June.

Test hockey players don't do things by halves.

The 28-year-old Northlander, who lives in Auckland, will play her 271st test in the clash at North Harbour, putting her three short of Emily Gaddum's massive record.

The world class veteran chats about her rise, departed coach Mark Hager, favourite moments, shootout tactics, her toughest opponents...and reveals what she would love to change in hockey.

How important is the record to you?

It would be a proud moment. I didn't realise I was so close until New Zealand Hockey called to talk about it. I was a bit shocked.

Time goes so fast, we play a lot of games The last 50 have flown by and we've had pretty special occasions within that, particularly Commonwealth Games gold last year.

What was your debut like?

I was 18, in 2009...it was a shocker for us in Whangarei, which was special given it is my home town. We had an incredible crowd - with a few of us from Whangarei on debut - but lost 7 - 3 to Argentina at a time when they were in their prime.

I was still very happy to play in front of home crowd for the Black Sticks, I had been trying all my life to get to that point.

But I was also, not so much embarrassed, but disappointed it was such a big margin.

Hockey players rack up big numbers...

Between 2012 and 2016 we were playing close to 45 games a year. I loved it — the high number of games helped me develop as a player.

But there is another side— you have to be wary of how much the body can handle. Under the new Pro-League system it will be less.

What are your family hockey connections...

I had two older sisters and mum who played. We all played for Northland through the age groups.

I've played for Northland and the Junior Black Sticks with my sister Carli which is special - you play well when you are with your sibling. My family has been a massive part of my career, including all the practice we did when we were younger.

Northland has an affinity with hockey...

The number of Black Sticks, particularly in the women's programme, from Northland is incredible.

The Northland hockey community has so many people with expertise who are also willing to give their time, people like Grant McLeod, Bevan Gibbs, Angeline Waetford to name just a few.

We have such incredible support up there as younger players and it doesn't stop after that.

Childhood hero?

Anna Lawrence, an incredible player for the Black Sticks. I loved watching her, especially her work rate and skill. I was probably a ball kid for her at one stage.

I've met her quite a few times in recent years — I told her she was my favourite player which was pretty cool. She smiled shyly..she is really friendly, a lovely person.

Your career highlight is...

Commonwealth Games gold. They aren't our pinnacle event, but we came away with the satisfaction knowing we had achieved what we wanted to. That sticks out as the only time we've done that. There are other tournaments where we are proud of what we achieved, but with disappointment over a game or two where we fell short.

The semifinal shootout win over England included your famous flick shot...

I had a one track mind with shootouts when I was younger and elected to dribble more often than not. I had success with my first shootout in London (2012 Olympics) but then it took a turn for the worse and I needed a more open minded approach.

The flick into the goal is pretty simple if you can get it away. You have to watch what the 'keeper does — each one is different.

Maddie Hinch moves around a lot, trying to put you off. I would normally dribble to my right and she did sit slightly to that side. That opened up a little bit of space on the left to flick it.

You are always trying to read each other.

Shootouts had been a problem until then...

Winning that was a huge mental boost for us. The incredible work Grace O'Hanlon did in goal that day helped us as a team and particularly myself. When you saw her making all these incredible saves - I was the last person to take the shootout and was inspired by her hard work, and knew I needed to do my job as well.

There has been recent controversy to endure, leading to coach Mark Hager's departure after a misdirected email was sent to players. How difficult has it been, did it lead to divisions?

It was difficult given how long the review went on for. As a group, we weren't distracted and recognised the importance of coming together for training and games. Everyone did that which impressed me. But we are looking forward to when it is behind us.

We are a close knit team. There were a lot of people not in the current squad who took part in the review, and those details I don't have. I haven't focussed on whether people did or didn't support Mark because that is not important now.

We have been focussed on getting on with the job, because we have had to. We haven't done it perfectly - obviously the results a have been up and down.

I certainly supported Mark and will always appreciate and treasure the years I was coached by him. He's with GB now...I'm sure we will see an improvement from them this year under his guidance.


Stacey Michelsen...taking on China. Photo / Getty Images

What does Graham Shaw, the new coach from Ireland, bring?

Sean Dancer, the assistant under Mark, is still taking us. There's a four week training block after the Anzac game, and Graham Shaw will take over during that. It will be interesting to see his approach - everyone is open to changes.

There was an excellent victory over Australia last month, but they are still higher ranked...

They played more consistently through the Pro-League. We've had some good performances but have been extremely inconsistent.

In the beginning our problem was goalscoring. We've certainly improved as an attacking group but there are a lot of areas to work on.

Who have been your toughest team and individual opponents?

Holland are absolute class, I don't think we've beaten them since I've been involved. No one is close to them at the moment.

Argentina's Luciana Aymar was my favourite player from outside of New Zealand...world player of the year seven times.

I loved playing against her. It was a huge challenge because she was so incredible. Her elimination skills (attackers eliminating defenders) were better than anyone else's in the world.

Is there anything you would change in hockey?

Hockey is in a great position in terms of the style. I love the new rules.

Penalty corners are an interesting one — I'm not sure I am a fan of them. Perhaps a penalty corner should be worth one point and a field goal worth two. That would be great.

They are quite dangerous and some teams in world hockey have success largely due to their penalty corner attack which I don't agree with.

You will be admitted to the bar as a barrister and solicitor in July...

Mark Hager really encouraged me to continue my studies, gave me time off if I needed it for exams and encouraged me to get into the work force once I had finished my degree which was huge.

It is easy when you are doing something as hard as high performance sport to let your other interests fall by the wayside. I'm super lucky to be doing both.

Outside interests...

I quite enjoy just relaxing outside of hockey, which has a high workload.

I really enjoy cycling. My partner (world champion and Olympic silver medallist Sam Webster) is a cyclist. We can ride for anything up to two and a half hours.

It's quite funny..we have such different training stimulus.

His longest race is 42 seconds, while we are running around for two hours at training. We have very different styles on a ride. If we go up hills I go hard at the start while he does a steady pace and always catches me halfway.

The New Zealand Herald



Samba hockey in Series Finals

By Jugjet Singh


Brazil’s Borges Matheus (in yellow) weighing in a shot against UiTM at the UiTM Hockey Stadium on Friday. PIC BY SADDAM YUSOFF.

FOOTBALL is the No 1 sport in Brazil.

But not many are aware that field hockey was popular in Brazil before football became a craze in that South American nation.

National coach Claudio Rocha said the sport was brought by the Europeans to his country about 100 years ago and was played among clubs as early as the 1800s.

"Hockey was popular before soccer, and was played actively in the 1800s, but it never stuck. We only played in the Rio Olympics, and the hockey federation only became affiliated with the International Hockey Federation in 2015.

"But still, we have 6,000 active hockey players. We also have five players plying their trade abroad," said Rocha.

Two play in the Netherlands and one each in Spain, Australia and Britain.

The five will form the core for Brazil in the FIH Series Finals in Bukit Jalil on April 26-May 4.

Their sweeper only arrived on Friday while the other four overseas-based players are on their way to Kuala Lumpur.

"Our sweeper came straight to the field from KLIA (in Sepang) to play against UiTM.

"The other four are arriving in batches. We last played as a team in November," said Rocha.

UiTM gave Brazil a good fight and won 3-2, but against a jet-lagged team.

"The time difference is 11 hours, so my players slept and ate more than they trained after arriving here. That's why we came early as our federation are serious about qualifying for the Olympics."

Brazil will also play warm-ups against the national Under-21, Wales and Canada before opening their Series Finals campaign against Malaysia on Friday.

"We are staying in the city centre. We love the food here even though it’s a little spicy," said Rocha.

Friday’s match is expected to be a spicy affair as the hockey players from this football-mad nation are well-built, robust and skilful in the semi-circle, and furthermore, they don’t like losing.

New Straits Times



Taking a big wrist

By Aftar Singh


Back in the fold: Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan underwent wrist surgery on March 8.

KUALA LUMPUR: Syed Mohd Syafiq Syed Cholan can thank his lucky stars for his inclusion in the Malaysian national hockey team.

The 24-year-old, who underwent wrist surgery on March 8, only had two weeks of training before he was called up for the FIH Series Finals at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil from April 26-May 4.

He picked up the injury during the World Cup in India last December.

He returned and played for Tenaga Nasional in the Malaysia Hockey League until the injury got worse.

Apart from beefing up the defence, Syed Syafiq has been tasked with getting the goals from penalty corners.

He is the third drag flicker in the squad along with Muhd Razie Abdul Rahim and Faizal Saari.

Syed Syafiq, who made his debut in a four-nation tournament in Melbourne in 2016, said that he is physically and mentally ready despite the short training stint.

“I have a big role to play. I have to man the defence and also deliver the goals. I’m up for it, there’s no pressure,” said Syed Syafiq, who has represented Malaysia 65 times since 2016.

“We have the strongest set of players for the tournament.

“Our defence especially will be tighter with the presence of experienced players like Razie, captain Muhd Sukri (Abdul Mutalib), Najmi (Farizal Jazlan) and Faiz Helmi Jali.

“I’m confident Malaysia will do well. We must win the tournament as qualification for next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games starts here,” added Syed Syafiq.

Eight teams will feature in the tournament and Malaysia, ranked 13th in the world, will open their Group B campaign against Brazil on April 26.

Malaysia’s other matches are against China on April 28 and they wrap up their fixtures against Italy on April 29.

Group A comprises Austria, Belarus, Canada and Wales.

The group winners will enter the semi-finals while the second and third-placed teams will play a cross-over match to qualify for the last four.

The Star of Malaysia



U.S. Women's National Development Squad Concludes Tour with Loss to Dutch Powerhouse, Stichtsche HC



BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands -  On another gorgeous evening at the Stichtsche Cricket en Hockeyclub in Bilthoven, The Netherlands, the U.S. Women's National Development Squad took to the field to play Stichtsche HC in their final fixture of the tour. The Dutch powerhouse club boasted a number of senior Dutch internationals along with three-time world goalkeeper of the year Maddie Hinch from Great Britain. USA competed well throughout the match but unfortunately lost 1-5.

The game started at a fast pace with both teams working hard to restricted the opposition to limited time on the ball. The energy levels, which have been a characteristic of every performance in The Netherlands, remained for USA with Taylor Stone (Herndon, Va.), Katie Walsh (Louisville, Ky.) and Kelsey Briddell (Wilton, N.Y.) in particular setting the tone.

Stichtsche was first to get on the scoreboard in the 7th minute and gave a glimpse of the quality they possessed with a devastatingly simple and well-executed passing move. USA scrambled to try get hold of the ball but eventually it was worked around USA goalkeeper Kealsie Robles (Yorktown, Va.).

The remainder of the half was well contested and the score stayed at 0-1 to the home team.

Play resumed and in the third quarter was pivotal in the outcome of the game. Two unanswered goals put Stichtsche into a commanding position in front of a buoyant home crowd. First another well worked passing move moved Stichtsche into the USA circle in the 34th minute but after saving an initial shot Robles was unable to keep out the rebound. Next a powerful penalty corner drag in the 39th minute found the sideboard.

Moving into the final quarter, USA maintained their effort levels in an attempt to gain a positive result that left themselves exposed on the counter attack for yet another clinical goal from the home team to make it 0-4. USA eventually got themselves on the board after a strong run from Alyssa Parker (Woodbine, Md.) toward the baseline who then connected with Madison Maguire (Rumson, N.J.) to finish neatly.

Stichtsche had the last say with yet another powerful penalty corner conversion to put the score to 1-5, which is where it remained.

"The result today was disappointing but the girls cannot be faulted for their effort levels," reflected Marc Hardy, U.S. Women's National Development Squad Head Coach, following the game. "We have had a hugely successful and enjoyable 7 days in Holland and to come away with two wins against Scotland and a shootout victory over the Belgium U-21's shows that this squad is moving in the right direction.”

“To take the field and compete against players of that quality with so much European and international experience was fantastic," added Stone, U.S. Women's National Development Squad Captain. "This squad wants to test itself to continue to improve and we certainly did that today.”

The U.S. Women's National Development Squad will have a few weeks off before having a training camp May 10 to 12 at Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, Pa.

USFHA media release



U-19 USWNT and Belgium End in Scoreless Tie in Second Tour Game



DUSSELDORF, Germany - On a beautiful sunny afternoon at the Dusseldorfer Hockey Club, the U.S. U-19 Women's National Team came out in their second international tour game inspired after the lessons learns in the previous one against Germany. The objective for this match was to apply those lessons and keep learning and finding solutions throughout. Both USA and Belgium had opportunities to win the game, but in the end the deadlock wasn’t broken as the game finished at 0-0.

The first quarter began with a quick counter attack from Belgium requiring USA goalkeeper Gabrielle Barraco (Allentown, Pa.) to immediately step into the action in the cage. The quick counter attack didn’t shake the team and they calmly settled into their outlet strategy and found success many times by transferring the ball to the free side. Emma Deberdine (Millersville, Pa.) was the engine behind the dynamic build-up play with her strong receptions and smart passing. USA was able to enter the Red Panthers' circle a handful of times but wasn’t able to convert on these opportunities.

USA played a dominant second quarter with Belgium entering their circle just twice after a pressing error. On the offensive front, the red, white and blue used their speed in transition to their advantage. A strong step up in the midfield by Megan Connors (San Diego, Calif.) led to an opportunity for Kathryn Schneider (San Diego, Calif.). Both teams went into halftime scoreless.

The third quarter was mainly played on Belgium’s half. USA surrounded the Red Panthers and transferred the ball to find a way into the offensive circle. Kayla Blas (Pendleton, N.Y.) and Meghan Reese (Center Valley, Pa.) dominated the right side and found multiple circle entries. However, strong defense led to a counter attack by Belgium. This was followed by multiple attack penalty corner opportunities for the Red Panthers, but once again USA goalkeeper Barraco put on a strong performance defending her clean sheet.

The stamina of USA really showed in the fourth quarter. The team dominated the entire frame and had seven circle entries and multiple shots. Kathryn Peterson (San Diego, Calif.) came dangerously close when she ripped a reverse from half way into the circle just wide. M. Grace Wallis (Blue Bell, Pa.) also came close a few times with tips at the far post. Josie Varney (Smithfield, Maine) displayed her strength and stamina by excelling both on the defensive and offensive end of the field.

The team has been progressing throughout the week. The lessons learned from the game against Germany were applied in the game against Belgium, yet the team needs to reward themselves by scoring goals.

"We went into the game and wanted to do a few things better than we did in the game against Germany," Ole Keusgen, U-19 USWNT Head Coach. "We wanted to be smarter in our decision making with the ball and work better against the ball in the press. We achieved both goals and played a very strong game. I’m very pleased with the match, even though we weren’t good in the attacking circle. Getting an outcome will be the final piece of the puzzle in game three of our tour.”

The U.S. U-19 Women's National Team returns to action on tomorrow, Sunday, April 21, when they will face Germany's U-18 team at 5:30 a.m. ET.

USFHA media release



2019 Test matches JPN v KOR (Women) - 1st Test
Ibaraki (JPN)

JPN v KOR     2 - 1

FIH Match Centre



2019 Women series NAM v ZAM - 1st Test
Windhoek

NAM v ZAM     5 - 1

FIH Match Centre



2019 U21 3 Nations Invitational Tournament GER v GBR v USA - Day 1
Viersen and Mönchengladbach

GER v USA (RR)     6 - 2

FIH Match Centre



Excellent Scotland v Wales age group hockey on Day two



Day two of action in the five Scotland versus Wales age group series’ saw wins for Scotland U16 Boys’ and Girls’ and Scotland U18 Girls’; and draws for Scotland U21 Women and Scotland U18 Boys’.

The results mean Scotland U16 Boys’ and Girls’ win their series’ after two matches, while Scotland U18 Girls’ can win their series with at least a draw tomorrow. Scotland U21 Women need a win to level the series in Glasgow, and it’s winner takes all in the U18 boys’ final match.

Wales U16 Boys 0-4 Scotland U16 Boys

Scotland U16 Boys put in an impressive performance as they won the second game of three 4-0 against Wales in Cardiff. The win means the Scots have won the series with one game to play and are looking in great form as the new group of players begin to gel.

The Scots came out the traps and very quickly scored two goals to get off to a lightning start. The first came from an excellent Charlie Jack drag flick into the bottom right corner, then inside six minutes Joel Davenport made it 2-0 when he instinctively latched onto a rebound to convert.

In the second quarter it went to 3-0 when Peter Caughey deflected a penalty corner into the bottom left corner.

Scotland was in control of the contest with Davenport and Jamie Croll putting in outstanding performances. The Captain, David Macrae, also looked the part is he led his side in a dominant display of hockey.

There were some outstanding saves by the Welsh goalkeeper as Scotland created a number of chances to score again but were denied by a fantastic goalkeeping performance.

Scotland’s fourth goal was the pick of the bunch and it was Macrae who took the ball forward, beat three players on the baseline, and flicked the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net for 4-0.

With seven new caps on the pitch it was another fine performance for Scotland, and an excellent win with one more game to go in the series.

Wales U16 Girls 1-2 Scotland U16 Girls 

Scotland U16 Girls won the series against Wales with a 2-1 victory in the second of three matches in Cardiff. 

It was a brilliant start by Scotland as they played an exciting brand of hockey with lots of lovely open play. The team was rewarded by a goal when they struck through a slick move that saw the ball zip from high on the right for Molly Morris to score on the left. 1-0.

After the goal Scotland sucked up a lot of Welsh pressure and defended well to hold onto their lead at half time.

Some high Welsh pressure after the restart brought their equaliser with the ball forced over the line in a scrappy battle in the Scots D.

The Scottish response was swift and 30 seconds later they were back in front. A three-pass move saw Scotland open Wales up for a Niamh Green back-post tap-in to make it 2-1. 

Ava Smith had an excellent game for Scotland, particularly in the second half, while Olivia Henderson and Georgie Yuille were calm throughout and exchanged the ball well at the back.

Wales finished the game strong but Scotland showed good focus and discipline to defend six penalty corners and hold on for the victory.

Wales U18 Girls 1-2 Scotland U18 Girls

After an incredible 5-5 draw in the previous match Scotland U18 Girls put in a composed performance to win the second test of three 2-1 against Wales.

Goals from Lucy Smith and Ellie Stott for Scotland came in a game were Scotland enjoyed lots of possession and controlled the tempo of play.

The opening goal came early, and it was Smith who struck after the Scots won the ball in midfield, broke on a counter attack, for Smith to score a rebound off the goalkeeper. 1-0.

There was more intensity about Scotland’s play from the first whistle, and although Wales changed their shape the Scots did well to solve the puzzle presented to them.

After a good interchange between three players Ellie Stott dove in and struck the post to issue a warning as Scotland moved the ball well.

Stott wouldn’t be denied and in the third quarter she bagged her well-earned goal after Ellie McKenzie carried the ball from midfield, beat three players and played a neat pass to Stott, who controlled well and sent a delightful reverse strike into the net for 2-0.

By the time Wales pulled one back Scotland had had three shots cleared off the line and been denied by some top goalkeeping. Then with six minutes to play a good finish saw Wales pull the score back to 2-1.

Wales piled on the pressure as they searched for an equaliser but Scotland was able to see the game out to take the win with one game left to play.

Wales U18 Boys’ 2-2 Scotland U18 Boys’

The second match between Scotland and Wales U18 Boys’ ended in another 2-2 draw setting up a winner takes all clash for the series tomorrow.

It was Wales who took an early lead when they were awarded, and converted, and penalty flick to go 1-0 ahead.

Despite going behind the Scots edged the play. Throughout the match Scotland created a number of chances to score but couldn’t convert.

It was the final quarter that was action packed. Wales doubled their advantage at the start of the fourth to go 2-0 in front. Scotland didn’t panic, in fact they showed great resilience and composure to continue with the standard of play they had set.

Eventually Scotland made one of their penalty corners count and it was Robbie Croll who slapped the ball home at the near post. 

Before they knew it, the score was level. This time Fraser Moran converted a lovely drag flick to equalise and put Scotland on a final charge for a winning goal.

The winning goal didn’t come, although it very nearly did when Jacob Tweedie hit the bar in the final moments.

Things are clearly starting to click for this new Scotland U18 Boys’ team, tomorrow’s final game of the series is set to be a cracker.

Scotland U21 Women 1-1 Wales U21 Women

At the Glasgow National Hockey Centre Scotland`s under-21 women squad drew 1-1 with Wales in the second of three test matches. It follows a narrow Welsh victory in the previous match in a very tight and competitive three-match series in Glasgow.  

It was a completely different game from the previous meeting with a very tentative first half. The only real opportunity came from a Jika Nyirenda run forward from midfield; she beat two players and if the final pass had come off Scotland would have had two players running at the goalkeeper. Nyirenda had an excellent game and the Beeston player was involved in much of Scotland’s good play.

Scotland edged the second half play but Wales were always a threat.

The match was goalless for most of the contest until Georgia Jones put the home side ahead when she popped a rebound from a drag flick at the right post of the goal for 1-0.

With five minutes left to play Caro Hulme levelled for the Welsh as a result of a spin and shot from the top of the D. 1-1.

In the end a draw was a fair result and the Scots need to win tomorrow`s game to square the series.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Mixed fortunes for Clydesdale Western and Edinburgh University in Europe



Edinburgh University were on the wrong end of a 5-1 reversal by Irish side UCD at the EuroHockey Club Trophy in Rochester and are now facing a relegation challenge.

Goals from Sarah Young and Niamh Carey gave the Irish a two-goal lead at half time.

Penalty corner conversions by Nina Heisterkamp and Leah McGuire along with an open play strike from Michelle Carey advanced the score to five.   

Hanna McKie finally put Edinburgh on the scoresheet, but it was little more than a consolation.

Clydesdale Western galloped to the top of their pool at the EuroHockey Club Challenge 1 in Lille with a fighting 3-2 win over Czech champions Slavia Prague.

The Glasgow side top the pool on goal difference from Switzerland`s Rotweiss Wettingen, and another win over Gintra (Lithuania) in the final pool match would ensure Clydesdale a place in the promotion semi-finals.

Ali Eadie put the Scots in from the penalty spot early in the first half, but they were pegged back by an equaliser from Magdalena Smidova. Before the interval Clydesdale got their noses in front again with an open play strike from Lexi Sabatelli.

The points looked assured when Jen Eadie advanced the score to 3-1 at a penalty corner. Towards the end the contest became a little fractious with several players visiting the sin bin, and in the final minute the Czechs scored again through Jindriska Reichlova, but Clydesdale held out for the narrow victory.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Amos Barkibir returns to haunt Kenya Police

By AYUMBA AYODI


Kenya Police captain Oliver Echenje (left) vies for the ball with Butali's Karis Tristin during their Kenya Hockey Union Men's Premier League match at City Park, Nairobi on April 20, 2019. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT |  NATON MEDIA GROUP

Champions Butali Sugar Warriors scored in each half to edge out Kenya Police 2-1 in a pulsating Kenyan men’s hockey Premier match at City Park Stadium on Saturday.

Earlier on at the same venue, Abraham Musee slotted home from the spot with three minutes to go to spur newcomers Sailors to a stunning 3-2 victory against former champions Strathmore Gladiators.

Amos Barkibir scored against his former side in the 54th minute after Police failed to clear their lines to hand Butali victory.

After a scoreless first quarter where Police squandered two open chances, the evergreen Zack Aura of Butali would show his mettle, tearing through the left before chalking a superb pass to Barnabas Odhiambo, who smashed in the opener in the 24th minute.

The teams went for the half time pep talk with Butali ahead 1-0.

The relentless Police went for some lovely build up with Derrick Juma putting through skipper Oliver Echenje to level 41 minutes. Police then committed a school-boy error, failing to clear their lines that allowed Barkibir to fire home.

Police got get a penalty corner with four seconds to go but once again Butali custodian Linus Sang stood firm to parry out Samuel Oungo’s drag-shot as the hooter sounded.

“It was a top quality duel as expect and much respect to Police, who have shown that they are title contenders," said Butali Sugar coach Dennis Owoka. “We were well prepared but Police showed much resilience and good marking.”

Kenya Police coach Patrick Mugambi hailed his charges for their good display saying a draw would have been a fair result after they created more opportunities than Butali.

“They used their few chances effectively and that is what counts at the end of the day,” explained Mugambi, who blamed lack of concentration for the two goals. “We were underrated after we lost our key players but we staged a standout show.”

Captain Festus Onyango broke the deadlock to give Strathmore the lead from the penalty spot in the 41st minute. Douglas Nyerere then levelled for Sailors from a penalty corner in the 47th minute before Victor Kumwenda gave the Sailors lead from a field goal in the 51st minute.

Alpha Musambi then levelled for Strathmore four minutes later from a field goal before Musee’s winning goal for Sailors.

In men’s Super League, Parkroad Badgers crushed Kenyatta University 4-1 while Multimedia University edged out Impala 2-0.

Father and son, David Omwaka and Mathis Gularire scored as Parkroad Tigers thrashed Gorillas 6-2 in men’s National League where Thika Rovers beat Wazalendo Youth 1-0.

Vikings and Oranje Leonas battled to a 1-1 draw in women’s Super League duel at the City Park Stadium.

Daily Nation

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