U.S. women get first win! Report Below.

© FIH / Jeroen van Bergen

On day three in the men's tournament, Spain and China started off the programme. Spain struggled against a fiercely determined Chinese team, but eventually took the win with a late goal from Pol Amat. The Netherlands took to the field against Canada in the second morning match and leisurely produced their third win in a row, maintaining their perfect record.
In the evening, New Zealand produced a good performance to defeat Belgium, while Germany could only manage a draw with Korea, meaning that New Zealand have leap-frogged them in the pool table. Australia and Pakistan played out an entertaining contest, with the Kookaburras fighting back from a goal down to win 3:1. In the final match of the day, Great Britain took the points against South Africa, winning 2:0.

Spain defeat China 2:1 (1:1)

Spain struggled to earn their third win of the tournament in front of a surprising Chinese team.

China started the game as usual at a high pace, boosted by the boisterous home crowd support. As was already the case in their two previous games, they scored the opening goal, this time on a 6th minute penalty-corner flicked low by Captain Yi SONG but deflected out of reach of the Spanish keeper by Yubo NA, his third goal of the Olympic competition.

Spain then pushed up the pace and were rewarded in the 17th minute when Xavier RIBAS low flick finally hit the target after a series of unsuccessful attempts. They kept pushing but could not increase their tally, consistently denied by a confident Chinese team that was prompt to take advantage of some sloppy Spanish plays to create dangerous opportunities.

Despite having most of the ball possession, the Spaniards struggled in second half, committing unusual errors in front of a Chinese team playing way above their current 17th world ranking. The last minutes of the game were torrid, with both teams desperate to score the winning goal. China came close on a penalty-corner that ended up in a furious scramble in front of the goal, but it was finally Pol AMAT who relieved his team in the 67th minute with a decisive run in the circle and a shot from close range that left no chance to the Chinese goal-keeper.

With this third win, Spain have nearly booked their semi-final berth but they won’t be happy with their inefficiency and their difficulty to take control of a game against a much lower ranked opponent. China can be disappointed to have no point to show for their first three games, but their confidence is building quickly and they are certainly impressing the hockey observers.

Netherlands defeat Canada 4:2 (3:1)

In the second match of the morning session saw the Netherlands take on Canada for their third match, and the Oranjes didn't waste any time in demonstrating their intentions: two Taeke Taekema goal in the first eight minutes, one from a penalty corner and one from a penalty stroke, put the Dutch in a comfortable position.

The prospects for Canada looked bleak but they fought hard to come back in the game. Mike Mahood was oustanding in goal for the North Americans once again and prevented the score from escalating, while Ranjeev Deol up front put Canada on the scoreboard with the finishing touch on an acrobatic volley from Sukhwinder Singh.

The remainder of the first half saw Holland put on a lot of pressure but Canada had their opportunities too. More than twenty goalless minutes were eventually broken by the unstoppable Taeke Takema, who completed a hat-trick with a penalty corner goal shortly before the break.

Roderick Weusthof piled on another goal from a penalty corner midway through the second half, as Canada was struggling to repell the rolling Dutch attacks. Despite a yellow card for Anthony Wright for being too vocal about a few umpires' decisions, the Oranjes could not score any more goals however, while Ravi Kahlon managed to get one back for Canada six minutes before the end, deflecting a Marian Schole reverse stick hit into the net.

But that was all the Canadians could do. The match ended 4-2 for the Netherlands, a flattering score line for Canada after a difficult start. Netherlands seemed content with the win and not too bothered with the score, but were also repeatedly denied by an imperial Mike Mahood in the Canadian goal.

The Netherlands are now at the top of the table with three wins from as many matches, at least until Australia take to the field this evening. Roelant Oltmans' side is thus likely to be one of the two teams from pool B to go through to the semi-finals, needing only one point from their remaining two matches to confirm their spot in the top four.

The defeated Panamerican Champions on the other side are still without a point after three matches, and will be hoping to be able to turn their good performances into actual points in their remaining encounters with Great Britain and South Africa.

New Zealand defeat Belgium 4:2 (3:0)

New Zealand inflicted a 4-2 defeat on the Red Devils today to keep themselves in the running for a spot in the semi-finals.

Belgium looked good at the beginning of the match, the more dynamic team in an encounter of then equal opponents. But a double hit from Simon CHILD, with two goals in under a minute, midway through the first half dealt a blow to the Belgian aspirations that they never really recovered from.

Gareth BROOKS piled on another before the break, diving to deflect a Ben COLLIER reverse stick shot past Belgian last man Cedric de GREVE. Three goals down now, Belgium went into halftime with a steep mountain to climb in the second half.

Ten minutes into the second half however, they took their first step as Jerome DEKEYSER scored with a great reverse stick hit from a narrow angle. His goal made his side grow in confidence, and they attacked desperately, trying to take advantage of the growing number of mistakes their opponents committed.

But the next goal came again from New Zealand, as Shea McALEESE effectively put his side out of reach with a reverse stick shot from the top of the circle with ten minutes to go. Gergory GUCASSOF was able to sink a penalty corner with an expert flick in the dying minutes of the game but it was too late.

New Zealand won the game deservedly, riding through the second half on the merit of their first half efforts, and closed in on the table top to keep themselves in the running for a place in the semi-finals.

On the other side, it was a disappointing result for Belgium, who came to Beijing with high hopes and have been playing really well, able to keep up with absolute top sides like Spain and Germany, but do not have much to show for it for the moment, hovering in fifth place in the table with only one point.


Australia defeats Pakistan 3:1 (1:1)

Australia secured yet another win but had to fight back from a goal down to defeat Pakistan 3:1. The result means that, after three games, Australia are still to drop a point at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The Green Shirts took a shock lead when Shakeel ABBASI brilliantly touched in a cross from the left wing past Kookaburras goalkeeper Stephen Lambert in the 16th minute. A minute later, Pakistan’s Muhammad WAQAS saw yellow, and Australia took full advantage of the extra man thanks to Grant SCHUBERT’s powerful equaliser in the 20th minute. The teams went into half time with the scores tied, which was a fair reflection of an exciting first half of attacking hockey in which both sides had plenty of chances. Jamie DWYER – a constant threat for the Kookaburras throughout the game – tapped in a penalty corner six minutes after the break to give his side a crucial lead. Travis BROOKS grabbed Australia’s third with a smart deflection before both Muhammad SAQLAIN and Waqas AKBAR both received yellow cards for foul play.

Australia took the victory and look strong favourites for the semi finals.

Korea draw Germany 3:3 (1:1)

The final game in pool A today got off to a fast-paced start and never really relented much, both teams going all out to bag a crucial win.

Korea took a step ahead early when Woon Kon Yeo converted a penalty corner awarded after Sebastian Biederlack had been forced to use his body to block a shot on goal from Sung Hoon Yoon, but the joy was short lived: Philip Witte sank the equalizer soon after, taking advantage of a quickly executed free hit for the one all half-time score.

After the break, Matthias Witthaus brought the World Champions ahead, to which Korea responded with a goal from penalty corner ace Jong Hyun Jang, but Christopher Zeller wasted no time to re-store the lead.

Yellow cards for Tibor Weissenborn and Yong Bae Kim reduced the game to ten against ten, and with more space, Korea managed anothe equalizer as Jong Ho Seo scored a beautiful goal off a Woon Kon Yeo pass.

That was the end of the scoring for the match, even though both teams kept trying in this hotly disputed final phase of the match. How hotly disputed is evidenced by another pair of yellow cards, shown simultaneously to Florian Keller and Jong Hyun Jang in the last minute of the match.

The teams thus split the points, a result that does neither of them much good but helps New Zealand: while Germany and Korea remain in third and fourth place in the standings respectively, New Zealand hold on to their second place for the time being. Pool A really is turning into the pool of death, with five teams still mathematically able to reach the semi-finals after three rounds of play.


Great Britain defeat South Africa 2:0 (1:0)

South Africa remain without a point in Pool B after falling to defeat against Great Britain. The result puts GB third in the table, having claimed six points from their three games so far at Beijing 2008.
Great Britain were the dominant force in the early stages of the game, with Ben HAWES and Ashley JACKSON both having good scoring opportunities. The match really swung in the favour of GB in the 12th minute, when Austin SMITH – who plays his club hockey in England for Reading – crashed into GB goalkeeper Ali McGREGOR, receiving a yellow card for his troubles. GB took the lead in the 20th minute, when James TINDALL intercepted a pass between the South Africa defenders, charged towards goal and delightfully chipped the ball over Christopher HIBBERT and into the net. South Africa, though were not without their chances, with Emile SMITH forcing a good save from McGREGOR in the 27th minute. GB dominated the early stages of the second half, but South Africa came close to equalising in the 60th minute when Marvin HARPER brilliantly collected a rising pass but missed the ball completely when attempting to shoot. Had he connected the score would surely have been level. Eventually though, Great Britain made the points safe with a 66th minute goal from Matt DALY, who slammed into the corner following superb build-up play down the right from GB captain Ben HAWES.
Great Britain will be hoping to keep up the good work when they face Canada on Sunday, while South Africa have a difficult game against Pakistan.



2008 Olympic Games, Men – Beijing, China
Results Friday 15 August

Spain - China 2:1 (1 :1)
CHN  Yubo NA (PC) 6mn
ESP  Xavier RIBAS (PC) 17mn
ESP  Pol AMAT (FG) 67mn

Netherlands - Canada 4:2 (3:1)
NED  Taeke TAEKEMA (PC) 4mn
NED  Taeke TAEKEMA (PS) 8mn
CAN Ranjeev DEOL (FG) 12mn
NED  Taeke TAEKEMA (PC) 33mn
NED Roderick WEUSTHOF (PC) 49mn
CAN Ravi KAHLON (FG) 64mn

Belgium - New Zealand 4:2 (3:0)
NZL Simon CHILD (FG) 19min
NZL Simon CHILD (FG) 20min
NZL Gareth BROOKS (FG) 30min
BEL Jeroem DEKEYSER (FG) 43min
NZL Shea McALEESE (FG) 60min
BEL Gregory GUCASSOF (PC) 69min

Pakistan – Australia 1:3 (1:1)
PAK Shakeel ABBASI (FG) 16min
AUS Grant SCHUBERT (FG) 20min
AUS Jamie DWYER (PC) 41min
AUS Travis BROOKS (FG) 59min

Korea - Germany 3:3 (1:1)
KOR Woon Kon YEO (PS) 5min
GER Philip WITTE (FG) 17min
GER Matthias WITTHAUS (FG) 40min
KOR Jong Hyun JANG (PC) 46min
GER Christopher ZELLER (FG) 47min
KOR Jong Ho SEO (FG) 52min

South Africa – Great Britain 0:2 (0:1)
GBR James TINDALL (FG) 20min
GBR Matt DALY (FG) 66min

© FIH / Jeroen van Bergen

Argentina celebrated a comprehensive victory over Germany to stay in the running for a semi-final spot as well, while the home team had no difficulty against Korea, dispatching their opponents 6-1 with hat-tricks from Tang Chunling and Fu Baorong.

USA defeat New Zealand 4:1 (2:0)

USA kept alive their hopes of reaching the semi finals of the Olympic hockey tournament with a comprehensive 4:1 victory over New Zealand. The result moved the USA – albeit temporarily – into second place in the pool.

USA took the lead after just 35 seconds, when Keli Smith moved across the top of the New Zealand circle from right to left before firing her reverse stick shot into the bottom right corner of Beth Jurgeleit’s goal. It went from bad to worse for New Zealand in the 12th minute when Angie LOY received a penalty corner pass on the left post before putting the ball into an unguarded net. New Zealand finally woke up and began to pressure the Americans, but their cause was not helped when Krystal Forgesson received a yellow card in the 31st minute, causing the side to lose the momentum they had been slowly building.

New Zealand pulled a goal back at the start of the second half when Joanne Galletly got on the score-sheet with a penalty corner. The USA nearly conceded again when Emily Naylor missed the target when clean through on goal, but Keli Smith relieved the pressure when she expertly deflected a 42nd minute penalty corner high into the goal. 3:1 became 4:1 from another penalty corner five minutes later, this time Kayla Bashore with the all-important touch in front of goal. Despite USA’s Lauren Powley received a yellow card with 15 minutes to go, but New Zealand could not make the extra player count.

Netherlands defeat Australia 2:1 (1:1)

In the clash of the two teams dominating pool A until now, the Netherlands defeated Australia by the narrowest of margins.

The two teams started off equal opponents in the first half, with the Dutch dominating the early stages, but the Hockeyroos having a good few opportunities towards the end of the first half.

Two first half goals, first for Australia as Sarah Young slapped the ball in from close range on the Hockeyroos very first promising attack, then from Maartje Paumen, roofing the ball with a powerful flick on a penalty corner, sent the teams into halftime at one all.

After the break, it was open battle as both sides went after the elusive winning goal but the Dutch were the luckier party - having unstoppable Maartje Paumen in their ranks, who put away her second penalty corner of the day, her seventh of the tournament, midway through the second half to give her team the lead and eventually the win. Paumen has scored seven of Holland's so far 12 goals, and is thus the author of more than 50% of their total! Paumen is also almost certainly goign to pick up the women's topscorer title here in Beijing, currently four goals clear of any other scorer.

In the lead, the Netherlands controlled the game well, confining Australia to their half of the field for long stretches of time and giving them little room to create danger. The Hockeroos tried hard but could not get past the ranks of their opponents, and the match ended 2-1 for Holland.

Netherlands take the victory, and move three points clear
at the top of pool A. This means that they have sealed a spot in the Olympic semi-finals, and they are the first team in Beijing to do so.

Argentina defeat Germany 4:0 (0:0)

Luciana Aymar showed just why she is the world’s best player as Argentina overcame pool leaders Germany 4:0, putting themselves firmly within reach of a semi final spot. Goals from Claudia Burkart, Alejandra Gulla (2) and a terrific strike from Luciana Aymar gave Argentina the victory, and now need to beat bottom side New Zealand to seal their progress into the medal matches.

The game was one that Las Leonas had to win if they were going to keep semi final qualification in their own hands, and came out playing as if their lives depended on it. They were extremely tense, but soon found their stride. Both sides had good chances in the first half, with Aymar and Germany’s Maike Stoeckel both with decent opportunities. However, the first half finished goal-less, meaning Argentina really needed to come out firing at the start of the second half.

Argentina finally opened the scoring thanks to a powerful penalty corner slap-shot from Claudia Burkart in the 38th minute. The relief on the faces of the Argentinean players was evident for all to see, with the relief turning to ecstasy in the 49th minute when Alejandra Gulla scored a typical poachers goal from close range. Germany rallied, but could find no way past the Argentina defence marshalled by veteran Magdalena Aicega. Gulla scored her second of the game in the 66th minute to make the score 3-1, before Aymar picked up the ball at the top of the circle and fired an unstoppable shot past Germany keeper Kristina Reynolds to complete the scoring.

China defeat Korea 6:1 (2:0)

The home team went into their match against Korea today knowing they needed points to keep alive their dream of reaching the semi-final. And they bagged three points in convincing manner to keep up with Australia and make Monday's match the decider.
The beginning of the match was troublesome for China, dominating the game but unable to score until late in the first half, when two goals from Tang Chunling put the Chinese ahead.

Both teams had had chances in the first half, with slight advantages on China's side, but China had used their opportunities more wisely, making good use of a yellow card for Korea's Jong Eun Kim to score both goals while one player up. Korea had not managed to get onto the scoreboard despite a number of chances including six penalty corners.

But it was in the second half that China pulled away for good. Only just back on the field, the hosts scored three times in two minutes to escape to an unassailable five goal lead. Fu Baorong contributed two goals, while Tang Chunling completed her hat-trick.

Midway through the second half, Korea were able to finally get their first goal when team captain Seon Ok Lee converted a penalty stroke, but they had to concede another for the gap to stay at five goals and Fu Baorong to complete the second hat-trick in the Chinese team today with a stunning goal that proved just how incredible a player she is.

China now have access to the semi-finals in their own hands: in the direct encounter with Australia in Monday's last round of pool play, the hosts need to win to go through.

Great Britain defeat Japan 2:1 (1:0)

Great Britain salvaged a precious win against Japan to climb to third place in pool B.

It took a long time for the game to take any momentum and the only really dangerous action in first period happened in the 32nd minute when Anne Panter was in the right position in front of the Japanese goal to deflect a cross from the right wing. Great Britain lived on this meager advantage during most of the second period, until Keiko Miura leveled the score in the 58th minute on a penalty corner deflected out of reach of Beth Storry by a defender.

With a renewed sense of urgency, Great Britain picked up the pace and besieged the Japanese goal. It seemed that it would be to no avail until the last minute of play, when they earned a penalty-corner vigorously slammed into goal by Crista Cullen after an elaborate combination left her alone in front of the goal-keeper.

The Japanese players were devastated by this last minute goal that pushes Great Britain to the third place of pool B with 7 points.

Spain defeat South Africa 1:0 (1:0)
Spain resisted a strong challenge from South Africa in the final match of the day, winning 1:0 in an absorbing Pool A encounter.

The goal arrived four minutes before half time, when Maria ROMAGOSA driving a powerful penalty corner beyond South Africa goalkeeper Mariette RIX. The result takes Spain onto six points for the tournament, putting them in fourth place behind The Netherlands, Australia and China.

The contest was an even one for the majority of the first half, with both sides creating plenty of opportunities to take the lead. Tarryn BRIGHT came close to opening the scoring for South Africa in the 18th minute when she deflected a penalty corner just past the post. As the end of the half neared, Spain seemed to be the side more likely to get the goal, and a good efforts on goal from Barbara MALDA and Nuria CAMON could easily have given them the lead. The goal eventually came from Maria ROMAGOSA’s unstoppable strike, causing great celebration from a Spanish team chasing a second win in succession.
South Africa had plenty of chances in the second half to grab the equaliser, but were guilty of a combination of poor finishing and some goalkeeping heroics from Spain’s Maria Jesus ROSA. She made three saves of the highest quality from Jennifer WILSON, Tarryn BRIGHT and Vidette RYAN to ensure that Spain would get another victory.

It was unquestionably South Africa’s best showing of the tournament, and on another day the score-line could well have been different.

2008 Olympic Games, Women - Beijing, China
Results Saturday August 16

New Zealand – USA 1:4 (0:2)
USA Keli SMITH (FG) 1min
USA Angela LOY (PC) 12min
NZL Joanne GALLETLY (PC) 37min
USA Keli SMITH (PC) 42min
USA Kayla BASHORE (PC) 47min

Australia – Netherlands 1:2 (1:1)
AUS Sarah YOUNG (FG) 17min
NED Maartje PAUMEN (PC) 20min
NED Maartje PAUMEN (PC) 46min

Germany – Argentina 0:4 (0:0)  
ARG Claudia BURKART (PC) 38min
ARG Alejandra GULLA (FG) 49min
ARG Alejandra GULLA (FG) 66min
ARG Luciana AYMAR (FG) 68min

Korea - China 1:6 (0:2)
CHN Chunling TANG (FG) 30min
CHN Chunling TANG (FG) 33min
CHN Baorong FU (FG) 39min
CHN Baorong FU (FG) 40min
CHN Chunling TANG (FG) 41min
KOR Seon Ok LEE (PS) 53min
CHN Baorong FU (FG) 64min

Great Britain - Japan 2:1 (1:0)
GBR Anne PANTER (FG) 32min
JPN Keiko MIURA (PC) 58mn
GBR Crista CULLEN (PC) 70mn

Spain – South Africa 1:0 (1:0)
ESP Maria ROMAGOSA (PC)  31min

Getty Images

United States' Keli Smith (R) and New Zealand's Kayla Sharland battle for the ball during Team USA's 4-1 victory.

BEIJING (AP) -- The United States women's field hockey team made it clear immediately on Saturday that it hadn't given up its dreams of earning an Olympic medal.

Keli Smith scored in the opening minute and the Americans went on to defeat New Zealand 4-1 for their first win at the games.

The goal 39 seconds into the match was scored on the Americans' first attack. The victory kept the U.S. in contention for a berth in the semifinal round with one game remaining in pool play.

"The tournament's on the line," U.S. coach Lee Bodimeade said. "To put that performance on the field was fantastic."

Angie Loy scored in the 12th minute to give the U.S. a 2-0 lead. New Zealand's Joanne Galletly scored less than two minutes into the second half, but the U.S. countered quickly, with another goal by Smith in the 42nd minute and a final goal by Kayla Bashore in the 47th.

"When we conceded the one goal, we all just looked at each other and just regained our composure and stood tall and pushed forward," team captain Kate Barber said. "Then, we went back on the attack and executed some really nice penalty corners."

The U.S. improved to 1-1-2. New Zealand remained winless, but this was its worst defeat. New Zealand's previous losses, to Germany, Japan and Britain, had been by 2-1 scores.

The margin of victory was important for the Americans because goal differential is a tiebreaker, yet the U.S. nearly lost ground in that area in the closing seconds. New Zealand had a penalty corner and got off a good shot, but Barber backed up goalie Amy Tran and poked it away with one second remaining.

Bodimeade knew that play could have been the difference between medaling and not medaling.

"I'm looking back at it now," he said. "The skipper (Barber) put the hand up, thank goodness, and made the save. That's as good as knocking another one in at the other end. I was very proud of the way they defended that final corner."

But Team USA's medal hopes suffered a blow when Argentina shocked Germany, winning 4-0. The victory puts Argentina and Germany in the top two spots, with Argentina's final game against the hapless New Zealand team.

In Pool A, the top-ranked Dutch (4-0) defeated Australia, 2-1, dealing the Aussies (3-1) their first loss of the women's tournament.