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All the news for Monday 14 September 2015

Guatemala and Panama became Champions

Guatemala’s National Men team and Panama’s National Women team became champions of the II Central American Indoor Hockey Tournament held in Honduras.

M. Josefina Chavez Diaz


Awards Finals. Photo Alejandro Amador

Guatemala’s National Men team and Panama’s National Women team became champions of the II Central American Indoor Hockey Tournament held in Honduras.

The sport day started early this morning at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Tegucigalpa with two matches for the men competition and two matches for the women competition.

Opening Day 3, debutante Honduras National Team in the tournament, met Costa Rica in their last match of the competition.

With concentration and strength, Honduras played a closed defense of their goal preventing “los Ticos” from scoring, ending in a 1-1 draw at halftime. During extra time, Honduras could not keep up their tactic, finishing with a 5-1 loss.

“We are so proud that we could participate in this Tournament, and we promise we will develop this beautiful sport,” said the local players in their farewell of the competition.

By the end of the morning, the men competition closed with Guatemala against El Salvador, in a match with high rotation of players and substitute goalkeeper. The foreseen match of the finals ended, the unbeaten Guatemalan team 3, El Salvador 0.

In the women competition, closing the pool and leaving the Tournament after their first international exposure, Honduras fell 2-1 to Panama. Later, Guatemala closed the pool unbeaten with a 3-1 win over El Salvador.

Bronze Medal Men Competition: Costa Rica 5- Panama 4

Displaying a highly superior level of play demonstrated throughout the tournament, Costa Rica and Panama played a great match. Costa Rica finally was able to hold the result and keep the Bronze Medal.

GUATEMALA, Men’s Champion

The squad conducted by Coach Sergio Veliz celebrated the victory, as they became champions of the II Central American Tournament in Tegucigalpa, played at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional.

Doubling the concentration and physical effort, Guatemala won 7-4 and took the trophy, having played seven matches and achieving a perfect score.

Bronze Medal Women Competition: Costa Rica won by shoot out.

After playing an even match, where El Salvador sought their revenge after losing 3-1 in the first day of competition, the match finished with a 1-1 draw by the end of regulation time.

In the shoot out, Costa Rica with a minimum difference in the scoring won the Bronze Medal.

PANAMA, The Champions

In an even match, Guatemala and Panama played the finals in the women competition at the Polideportivo de la Universidad Francisco Morazán.

By the end of the regulation time, none of the teams could score further after the 1-1 draw.

At the shoot outs, Panamaá took the lead with a 1-0 win over Guatemala coming away with the Gold Medal

Pan American Hockey Federation media release

Honduras closed the tournament

The II Central American Indoor Hockey Tournament closed today at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Tegucigalpa. The champions were Panama and Guatemala at women and men’s competition respectively.

M. Josefina Chavez Diaz

The II Central American Indoor Hockey Tournament closed today at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Tegucigalpa. The champions were Panama and Guatemala at women and men’s competition respectively.

After three days of competition and 24 disputed matches among men and women’s teams, the II Central American Indoor Hockey Tournament ended today at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Panama in the women’s competition and Guatemala in the men’s competition became champions of the tournament.

The closing and medal ceremony was led by Laura Macchiotti, PAHF Event Coordinator, the Rector of the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, venue where the tournament was held, the Honduran Olympic Committee Representative,  and the President of the Honduran Hockey Federation, Lic. Norín Palencia.

“On behalf of the Pan American Hockey Federation, I want to thank Honduras for hosting this Tournament, this prestigious university, the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, the Honduran Hockey Federation, and to all participant countries for their great economic effort in order to compete here, we know the difficulties they have to face and the low funds they count upon.

We would also want to thank Alicia Takeda as Tournament Director and Soledad Iaparraguirre as Umpire Manager, for their contribution in facilitating their courses.

A great recognition to you all, it was worth the effort. The progress and growth of the teams year after year, is noticeable. A special recognition goes to Honduras for participating in this Tournament for the first time. We would like to thank the Argentinean Hockey Confederation (CAH) who under PAHF’s initiative, sponsored Honduras.

We, from our Federation, encourage more experienced countries to sponsor those nations that are developing in the sports,” said Laura Macchiotti.

On August 19, the Argentinean Hockey Confederation (CAH) handed material and developing equipment to promote hockey in Honduras. 

Mario Galliano, CAH Secretary presented the material to Dimas Escobar, Economic Counselor of the Honduran Embassy in Argentina.

Alberto Budeisky, President of PAHF, and Laura Macchiotti, PAHF Event Coordinator led the event. During the delivery, Alberto Budeisky emphasized the good predisposition shown by CAH and encouraged other countries to follow this example to support and promote the sport in countries where the access to equipment is very difficult.

“Thanks to each and all of you, because what happened here in five days, is a great legacy for all of us regarding sports, and the acquisition of knowledge to implement when time comes to organize tournaments in your own country.

We, PAHF, hope to see you again in the following edition next year, and in 2017 at the Central American Games in Managua,” said PAHF Event Coordinator, Laura Macchiotti.

Pan American Hockey Federation media release

Ward hits four as Holcombe hammer Canterbury


Sam Ward battles to find a way through the Australia defence. Credit Ravi Ghowry GB Hockey

SAM Ward made a superb debut for Holcombe, scoring four times as his new team stormed to a 7-2 victory over Canterbury in the Men’s Hockey League on Saturday evening.

Ward - pictured in action for Great Britain this summer - was one of several players to join newly-promoted Holcombe in the summer, and they made a strong start with fellow newcomer Ashley Jackson also getting on the scoresheet along with Iain Lewers and Nick Bandurak. Wei Adams and Craig Boyne scored for Canterbury.

Surbiton also scored seven goals and kept a clean sheet in their 7-0 drubbing of East Grinstead. Alan Forsyth scored a hat-trick, Matt Daly hit two, and others came from Andy Hayward and David Beckett.

Elsewhere, champions Wimbledon were held to a 2-2 draw at Brooklands Manchester University. The home side were 2-0 ahead with Aiden Khares and John Crossley scoring their first half goals, and only late strikes from Pete Millar and James Jewell spared Wimbledon’s blushes.

Tom Carson scored with the very last play of the match as Reading scraped a 1-0 win over Hampstead and Westminster, while in the Premier Division’s other match Cannock won 2-1 on Saturday evening over Beeston.

James Alberry had given Beeston an early lead, but late goals from Mark Daniel and Rob Farrington in the final minute gave Cannock the points after they had brought on a kicking back.

Men’s Conference West

Tom Watson’s second minute goal gave the University of Exeter the lead over the University of Birmingham in the Men’s Conference West, but a hat-trick from Sam French helped the University of Birmingham record a 4-1 win, with Will Selfe scoring the other.

Daniel Jackson scored twice for Cheltenham as they beat Indian Gymkhana 4-1, Alex Salmon and Matthew Court scoring the others.

Cardiff and Met ran out 3-2 winners over Guildford, while there were 2-2 draws between Isca and Fareham, as well as Team Bath Buccaneers and Chichester Priory Park.

Men’s Conference North

Loughborough Students made a strong start to the season with a 4-0 win at Olton and West Warwickshire in the Men’s Conference North.

Luke Cornish bagged two goals, while Ed Horler and Stephen Hunter scored the others.

Deeside Ramblers were also in great goal-scoring form as they won 5-3 at home against Lichfield. Ali Ghazanfar scored two for the hosts.

Martin Sutherland scored twice as Sheffield Hallam won 3-1 over Preston at Abbeydale, while there were 2-2 draws for University of Durham and Bowdon, as well as Wakefield and Doncaster.

Men’s Conference East

Two goals each from Mark Pearn and Charlie Ellison helped Richmond take a 6-1 win over Teddington in the Men’s Conference East on Saturday evening.

Southgate also scored six, beating hosts West Herts 6-2 with Matt Guise Brown scoring twice.

Duncan Parniss was on target twice for Sevenoaks as they beat Bromley and Beckenham 3-1, while Cambridge City were 4-2 winners over Harleston Magpies with Euan Gilmour scoring a hat-trick.

In the weekend’s other East Conference match, Brighton and Hove and Oxted battled to a 3-3 draw.

Men’s Hockey League (Saturday, September 12 2015):

Men's Premier Division: Cannock 2, Beeston 1; Holcombe 7, Canterbury 2.

Men's Conference East: Richmond 6, Teddington 1; Sevenoaks 3, Bromley and Beckenham 1.

Men’s Hockey League (Sunday, September 13 2015):

Men's Premier Division: Brooklands MU 2, Wimbledon 2; Reading 1, Hampstead and Westminster 0; Surbiton 7, East Grinstead 0.

Men's Conference West: Cardiff & Met 3, Guildford 2; Cheltenham 4, Indian Gymkhana 1; Isca 2, Fareham 2; Team Bath Buccaneers 2, Chichester Priory Park 2; University of Birmingham 4, University of Exeter 1.

Men's Conference North: Deeside Ramblers 5, Lichfield 3; Olton & West Warwicks 0, Loughborough Students 4; Sheffield Hallam 3, Preston 1; University of Durham 2, Bowdon 2; Wakefield 2, Doncaster 2.

Men's Conference East: Brighton and Hove 3, Oxted 3; Cambridge City 4, Harleston Magpies 2; West Herts 2, Southgate 6.

England Hockey Board Media release

Crucial win for Midlands Women in Round 4


Photo: Planet Hockey

The Midlands Women have pulled off a big result, while the Auckland Men continued their winning streak in Round 4 of the Ford National Hockey League in Whangarei.

In an exciting first game of the day the Midlands Women broke the Canterbury Cats’ unbeaten record with a 4-3 victory.

Canterbury looked in control with a 3-1 lead heading into halftime following goals from Bridget Blackwood, Jenny Storey and Phoebe Steele.

But it was an inspired comeback from Midlands which saw Kate Kernaghan star with a double and Gemma Flynn score the equalising goal before captain Sam Charlton drilled home the game winner with less than five minutes on the clock.

North Harbour jumped up to 12 points with a 3-1 result over Capital, going out by three goals thanks to Amie Judge, Kathryn Henry and Kirsten Pearce. Anita Punt scored midway through the fourth quarter to get Capital on the board.

Auckland came away with a 3-2 shoot-out win over the Central Mysticks after the game went into fulltime tied at 2-2. Krystal Forgesson and Katie Glynn put Auckland up 2-0 before Kayla Whitelock scored two fourth quarter goals in the space of a minute to equalise and force the shoot-out.

Northland put on a show for their home crowd with a huge 5-3 result over the Southern Storm. Stacey Michelsen and Hannah Haughn both scored doubles, while Samantha Polovnikoff also netted to move Northland up into a handy spot on the table with 12 points.

In men’s results, Auckland locked up their place on top of the table after a close fought 3-2 win over the Central Mavericks.

Central got off to a flyer with first half goals from Sam Jimmieson and Nick Wilson, but allowed Auckland to pull one back through Ryan Archibald just out from halftime.

Auckland fought back in the second half and drew level from a Dwayne Rowsell drag flick before Kim Kingstone scored the game winner four minutes from fulltime.

It was a thrilling end to the Canterbury Cavaliers vs Midlands game, with a goal for each team in the final two minutes leaving the score locked up 3-3 at fulltime. Midlands took the shoot-out 4-2 to bank two points. In regulation time Canterbury captain Nick Haig scored a hat-trick, while James Linehan scored a double and Nic Woods added another for Midlands.

The Capital Cobras secured four points with a narrow 2-1 result against North Harbour. With much of the game level at 1-1, Stephen Jenness broke the deadlock for the Cobras with a 41st minute reverse stick strike to move his side into second on the table with 10 points.

The Southern Dogs kept a clean sheet in their 4-0 win over hosts Northland, with Black Sticks striker Hugo Inglis and Jeremy Morris both scoring doubles.

Round 5 gets underway from 12:30pm tomorrow with North Harbour vs Central Mysticks opening the day’s play for the women, before the Canterbury Cavaliers take on Auckland on the men’s draw at 1:00pm.

The Ford National Hockey League is proudly supported by the Whangarei District Council and Trillian Trust.

CLICK HERE for more on the 2015 Ford NHL

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Dragons start title defence with 5-3 win

Dragons got the Belgian league title defence off to a winning start but were pushed all the way by Beerschot in a lively 5-3 result this afternoon.

Indeed, Gaëtan Perez gave the Bees the lead early on only for Dragons to reply in kind and build a 4-1 lead via Florent van Aubel, Jeffrey Thys, Louis Rombouts and Fabrice Van Bockrijck.

Two goals in three minutes got Beerschot back into the mix via Valentin Plietser and Taine Paton but Thomas Briels corner rebound, on his return to Dragons after several years with Oranje Zwart, assured the win.

The Waterloo Ducks shaded a 2-1 win over Antwerp thanks to goals from Gauthier Boccac and Maxime Capelle.

Royal Leopold were 4-3 victors over Daring with goalkeeper Romain Henet producing a fine performance. The Uccle-side got off to a great start with Tanguy Zimmer and Max Plennevaux making it 2-0 inside the first ten minutes.

Daring fought back and ended up levelling at 3-3 via Grégory Gucassoff but Gabriel Dabanch fired the crucial winning goal late on.

KHC Leuven were 4-3 winners over Herakles, coming back from 3-1 down after 25 minutes. Efforts from Renaud Pangrazio, Pilou Maraite and Tom De groote helped them turn the tide.

Braxgata and Racing Club de Bruxelles drew 1-1 while Pingouin beat Gent 2-1 in the other games.

Euro Hockey League media release

Maybank, Sapura in semis

BY Jugjet Singh

SAPURA goalkeeper Hairi Rahman played the game of his life to deny Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) an upset in the Second Leg Quarter-finals of the TNB Cup at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

UniKL had made a super comeback, after losing 3-0 in the First Leg, to lead 3-2 going into the last quarter of the match, but five super saves from Hairi denied UniKL of a dream shoot-out.

Sapura won 5-3 on aggregate, and will play Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club in the two-leg semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday.

The other semi-finals will be between Terengganu Hockey Team and Maybank, after the Tigers beat Tenaga Nasional 3-2 to advance on 5-3 aggregate.

Pakistan import Muhammad Imran scored for Sapura in the third, but Azwar Rahman equalsied for UniKL. Sapura again took the lead off Faridzul Afiq in the 14th minute.

However, Richard Sykes (43rd) and Haziq Samsul (45th) made it 3-2 for UniKL, only to see goalkeeper Hairi standing in their path to an upset in the final 15 minutes.

As for Maybank, Ahmad Kazamirul (14th, 50th) and Hafifi Hafiz (42nd) sounded the board, while Shahril Saabah (27th) and Ramadan Rosli (52nd) scored for Tenaga.

Sapura coach Tai Beng Hai said they eased off to early: "After scoring an early goal we became too comfortable and made the match difficult, this was not part of the plan, as we have only one day to rest before taking on KLHC in the semi-finals."

As for UniKL coach Arul Selvaraj, he was glad they finally won a match this season.

"We only had a draw to show in the League and this win is crucial for the club as we progress slowly on the development of youth.

"Hats off to Sapura goalkeeper (Hairi) who denied us five shots at goal in the last quarter," said Arul.

Meanwhile in the women's Junior Asia Cup final in Changzhou, China beat Japan 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out after 2-2 on regulation time. For the bronze, South Korea beat India 3-2. The top-three teams advance to the Junior World Cup.

Malaysia finished fifth after beating Thailand 3-1 on Saturday.

RESULTS: Quarter-finals Second Leg:
   Universiti Kuala Lumpur 3 Sapura 2.
   (Sapura win 5-3 on aggregate)
   Maybank 3 Tenaga Nasional 2.
   (Maybank win 5-3 on aggregate)

TUESDAY --Semi-finals (First Leg): Terengganu Hockey Team v Maybank (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 6pm); Sapura v Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 8pm).

THURSDAY: Semi-finals (Second Leg): Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v Sapura (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 6pm), Maybank v Terengganu Hockey Team (Bukit Jalil Pitch II, 8pm).

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey

Maybank and Sapura make semis, thanks to first leg wins

By S. Ramaguru


Sapura players celebrate after scoring a goal against UniKL in the quarter-final second leg of the MHL Overall Title match on Sunday. - IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/ The STAR

KUALA LUMPUR: Maybank and Sapura rode on their first-leg advantage to qualify for the semi-finals of the overall title in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

Maybank, 2-1 winners over Tenaga Nasional in their first-leg quarter-final match, won 3-2 in the second leg on Sunday at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil to go through 5-3 on aggregate.

Although Sapura went down 2-3 to Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) in their Sunday match, their 3-0 victory in the first leg pushed them through 5-3 on aggregate.

Maybank take on defending champions Terengganu while Sapura face Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) in the semi-finals.

http://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/Images/TSOL/Photos-Upload/From%20DCX/2015/09/13/doc6m8iofctnrk11tgsmesv.ashx

Maybank took the lead in the 14th minute through Ahamd Kazamirul Nasruddin from a penalty corner conversion.

Tenaga equalised through another penalty corner in the 27th minute through Mohamed Shahril Saabah.

Skipper Hafifihafiz Hanafi put Maybank ahead in the 42nd minute and Ahmad made it 3-1 off a penalty corner rebound in the 50th minute, before Ramadan Rosli reduced the deficit for Tenaga in the 52nd minute.

Earlier, UniKL registered their first win of the season against Sapura but it was not enough for them to reach the last four. Despite that, coach A. Arulselvaraj was happy they ended their campaign on a winning note.

“The players showed up today and we got the desired result. We have a young team and this win augurs well for them. I am pleased with the result,” said Arulselvaraj.

Sapura’s Pakistan player Mohamed Imran sounded the board in the fifth minute while UniKL replied through Mohamed Azwar off a field goal a minute later.

Sapura regain the lead through Faridzul Afiq Mohamed in the 14th minute but a strong run by UniKL in the third quarter took them ahead, with Richard Skyes and national player Mohamed Haziq Shamsul scoring the decisive goals.

Sapura coach Tai Beng Hai said: “We wanted to save our energy as there are two more tough matches ahead.”

Premier Division

Quarter-finals Second Leg: UniKL 3 Sapura 2 (Sapura qualify 5-3 on aggregate); Maybank 3 Tenaga Nasional 2 (Maybank qualify 5-3 on aggregate)

The Star of Malaysia

Ipoh City Council book semis spot in President’s Cup

By S. Ramaguru

KUALA LUMPUR: Ipoh City Council (MBI) stormed into the semi-finals of the President’s Cup with a 4-2 win over Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) in the second-leg quarter-finals at the National Hockey Stadium.

The Ipoh side went through 8-3 on aggregate after their 4-1 first-leg win.

They will take on Division One champions Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UiTM) in the two-leg semi-finals on Wednesday and Friday without four key players.

The four –  Mohamed Ariff Roslan, Mohamed Nursyahami Zulkifli, Mohamed Azwan Haziq and Mohamed Azraai Aizad – are down to play for Perak in the 1MAS League scheduled on the same days as the semi-finals.

Team manager Azahari Effendi Rahim said they have no choice but to release the players.

“We believe we have a good chance to overcome UiTM but without the four players we will be severely handicapped. Some of the senior players are carrying injuries and hopefully they will recover in time for the semis.”

MBI finished fourth in the Division One of the Malaysia Hockey League.

In the other quarter-final match, UiTM drew 1-1 with Politeknik Malaysia to qualify 3-2 on aggregate.

UiTM won 2-1 in the first-leg on Saturday.

The Star of Malaysia

Field goal set to be counted as ‘two’ in Hockey India League

The move is aimed at increasing the percentage of field goals which will eventually give way to attacking hockey.

Written by Mihir Vasavda


The rule also has the backing of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), giving rise to speculations that, if successful, the rule might be tested internationally as well.

The upcoming edition of the Hockey India League (HIL) is likely to introduce a rule change that has been termed ‘revolutionary’ by some franchise officials. As per the new rule, which in all likelihood will be implemented in the next edition of the league, the weightage for field goals will be double compared to the goals scored from penalty corners. That means while a successfully converted short corner will still count as one goal, a field goal will be considered as ‘two.’

The technical committee of the HIL discussed the new rule with the franchises at a workshop that was recently held in Delhi and is likely to be formalised soon. The rule also has the backing of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), giving rise to speculations that, if successful, the rule might be tested internationally as well.

The move is aimed at increasing the percentage of field goals and encouraging attacking hockey. The teams generally look for a foot and win a penalty corner.

The short corners have risen in prominence in the last few years, especially for teams with powerful drag-flickers. The general perception is that the importance given to corners has diminished the value of a field goal, which is an area Indians have generally struggled at in the last few years.

A franchise official said this move will act as an incentive for the teams to go all out and score field goals, while giving teams who are trailing by two goals an opportunity to salvage a point till the final second.

“It’s an exciting rule but a lot will depend on how it is executed. We might see the teams play adventurous and attacking hockey to score a field goal if they are counted as two instead of depending on penalty corners to score a goal,” the official said.

The rule might also see the way teams approach Thursday’s auctions, where the teams will be tempted to go for poachers. Drag flickers have been in demand in the HIL. The top five goal-scorers last season were all drag-flickers, with Englishman Ashley Jackson (11) and India discard Sandeep Singh (9) leading the charts.

“But if field goals will be counted as two, then strikers will be in demand at the auctions this week,” added the official.

A total of 135 Indian and 142 foreign players will go under the hammer on September 17. The six franchises will bid for players from India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, England, South Africa, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Scotland, Malaysia, Japan and Korea to complete their teams.

Indian Express

Brothers give all to the game

By Peter White


Hamish (left), Ethan and Dominic Hahunga at last week's AIMS Games hockey tournament. Photo / Josh Hahunga

When Hamish Hahunga first picked up a hockey stick 11 years ago at Papamoa Primary School, he could never have imagined he would end up umpiring the game as a teenager. Or that his two siblings would follow in the same path.

But that is how it has panned out for the 18-year-old Tauranga Boys' College prefect and his hockey-mad family.

Hamish played in numerous school and representative teams at tournaments all around New Zealand but the perennial shortage of umpires at junior levels brought about the unexpected move to umpiring.

Five years ago, doing a favour for his younger brother Ethan's team, Hamish went to their national tournament and ended up umpiring the finals. He has never looked back since and enjoyed officiating at last week's AIMS Games. He played in two with Tauranga Intermediate and has done three years umpiring at the popular event.

Now in his last year of college, a career move to the defence forces means a move away from the Western Bay for Hamish but it will not be the last time the Hahunga family is involved.

Younger brother Ethan, 15, has followed in Hamish's footsteps both as a player and umpire.

Ethan played for Tauranga Intermediate at AIMS, for Tauranga Boys' College and also Tauranga age group representative teams, but as an umpire he has gone one step further. He has umpired finals at national tournaments and at last year's AIMS hockey 6-aside final. Like Hamish he helped out at last week's AIMS Games.

Their youngest brother Dominic, 13, made it a real family occasion last week as he played for Tauranga Intermediate's hockey side, in his second and final year of competition.

It is not often that all three brothers appear at the same event so it was a proud week for the family.

As one brother prepares to move on, Dominic is already learning the craft of umpiring, so expect him to be a part of the AIMS Games in years to come.

So why do they do it? When asked, the reply from the three brothers was the same.

"Hockey has been good to us over the years. It's allowed us to travel and enjoy many good times and AIMS has always been one of those fun times. Now, it's all about giving back to the game. That's why we're doing this."

The New Zealand Herald

Penn State field hockey suffers tough loss against California

Tori Rooney


Aurelia Meijer (23) battles for the ball down the field during the field hockey game against Cal at the Field Hockey Complex on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. Camille Stefani

The Penn State Field Hockey team suffered another tough loss on Friday against California Berkeley.

The Nittany Lions, now 3-2 on the season, lost their grasp of a two-goal lead when the game was tied up with hardly a minute left in the second half.

The contest then continued into sudden death overtime and the Golden Bears managed to score to their third goal, taking a 3-2 victory on Friday night at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex.

Neither team was able to put up a goal until the final six minutes of the first half when Penn State freshman Aurelia Meijer scored her first career goal.

“When I scored, I was happy. But now, I am not as happy,” Meijer said.

Meijer, who was excited about her first goal of the season, said that it was not enough to win the Lions the game.

Another freshman, Gini Bramley, earned her first career goal as well. Both Bramley and Meijer’s goals led the Lions to a 2-0 advantage.

Bramley said that the team as a whole needs to work on its possession towards the end of game, keep up with marks and increase the team communication on the field.

“We need to have a better presence on the field,” Bramley said, “We’ll just move on and we’ll learn from this.”

The game had a quick turn around intensity once the Golden Bears managed to put its first goal on the scoreboard with only 3:34 left in the second half.

Seven minutes into a tense overtime, senior Monica Marrazzo locked in the win with her goal, leading the Golden Bears to victory.

Penn State coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss expressed disappointment and defeat as she explained that the team has now lost three games in the last remaining five minutes.

“We need to have leadership on the field, intensity and a desire not to lose the game,” Morett-Curtiss said.

The Lions managed to out shoot Cal by double, but it was not enough to clinch them the win.

The coach is looking to capitalize on the team’s chances inside the circle during penalty corners to get the goals the squad needs. With 18 shots and only two goals this game, Morett-Curtiss said she wants the Lions to intensify its quality shots and follow through with them.

“You have to have heart. You have to have that deep desire not to lose,” Morett-Curtiss said.

The Daily Collegian

Lahore School System Wins the Private Schools’ Hockey Tournament

By Ijaz Chaudhry


Captain of Lahore School Systems receiving the trophy from the Chief Guest, Mr Kashif Mirza

There are no two opinions that one of the main reasons of Pakistan hockey’s decline is the gradual erosion of activity at the grass roots’ level.

Schools, in particular, played a great role. There used to be regular inter school tournaments which witnessed intense competition and threw up great talent. That is now a distant memory. Today, meaningful hockey is seen in a very small number of schools.

Hence, it was a pleasant surprise for the hockey lovers when a private schools competition was held at the National Hockey Stadium (where the PHF HQ is situated), Lahore.

Sponsored by Mr Kashif Mirza, the Central President of All Pakistan Private Schools Federation, and organized by Dar Hockey Academy, the tournament was participated by Lahore’s four prominent private schools: Lahore School System, Lahore City School, Lahore American School and Divisional Public School.

After the single league where all the teams played against each other, the top two sides, Lahore School System and the Divisional Public School, contested the final.

Some entertaining hockey was witnessed with swift combined moves. However, the Lahore School System held an upper hand for large periods and emerged winners by three goals to nil. Umair, Asif and Awais were the scorers.

Mr Kashif Mirza, who was the chief guest at the final, presented the victorious captain with the beautiful trophy. In addition, he also presented cash awards of rupees 10,000 each to the winners and the runners up teams. 

Ijaz Chaudhry writes on hockey and other sports. For more about him and his work, visit www.sportscorrespondent.info

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