AUCKLAND, New Zealand – November 20, 2017 – A home crowd at the North Harbour Hockey Stadium made the atmosphere exciting as the U.S. Women’s National Team faced host and FIH Hero World Ranked No. 5 New Zealand in the third and final pool play match of the Sentinel Homes Hockey World League Final. A lot was on the line for this game, as the outcome affected the final pool standings and placements in the quarterfinal round. Finishing the first half tied 1-1, USA produced two goals in the third quarter to earn a 3-1 victory over New Zealand and finish second in the pool. The last time USA defeated the Black Sticks in a world international event, excluding test series, was at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
“We were able to be gritty and get a result which was important and a step forward for us for seeding purposes,” said Melissa Gonzalez (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.), USWNT’s Captain. “There were times where we were able to work around [New Zealand], as we know they are a tough side. But we were most successful when we use our strengths, which is speed and quick ball movement.”
New Zealand came out strong testing USA’s defense early. Tallying multiple circle penetrations in the opening minutes, the Black Sticks earned their first penalty corner in the 6th minute. Although the attempt was unsuccessful, USA continued to struggle to produce clean outlets. A passing combination up-field for USA found Casey Di Nardo (Virginia Beach, Va.) and as she tried to cut inside, was taken to the turf. The hard foul outside the circle was upgraded to USA’s first penalty corner. A well-executed sweep from Ali Froede (Burke, Va.) was tipped into the net by Jill Witmer (Lancaster, Pa.) to give USA a 1-0 lead. New Zealand quickly took action the other way and earned three consecutive penalty corners. The first and second attempts were denied on the post by Caitlin Van Sickle (Wilmington, Del.) and the third saved by goalkeeper Jackie Briggs (Robesonia, Pa.). The quarter finished with an exciting chance for USA as Alyssa Manley (Lititz, Pa.) received the ball wide open at the top of the circle. The Black Sticks cut down the play to limit USA’s potential to extend the lead.
Keeping the high press on, New Zealand came out with the same intensity to start the second quarter. Briggs produced a stick save on an early penalty corner as the Black Sticks searched eagerly for the equalizer. In the 22nd minute, New Zealand executed an identical penalty corner play as USA’s and they too were effective as Ella Gunson tipped it into the net to make it one goal apiece. USA remained on the back foot for the finishing minutes and were also down a player as Manley received a 5-minute yellow card for a hard tackle.
“New Zealand’s strength is their ability to back tackle and their speed going forward,” commented Gonzalez, on USA’s struggle to transition the ball forward. “They want you to turn it over in the pockets so for us we needed to know our exit. That change a bit in the second half.”
A tied game heading into the third, the excitement started to build in the stands. USA earned a penalty corner five minutes in but New Zealand read the play perfectly and quickly countered down field in a numbers up situation. The opportunity finished with a sliding Black Stick sending the ball just wide of the goalmouth. A minute later at the other end, Michelle Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.) was collapsed on by three New Zealand defenders at the top of the circle and taken down hard earning USA a penalty stroke. Poised Taylor West (Princess Anne, Md.) successfully converted giving USA a 2-1 lead. The lead was extended for USA in the final seconds of the quarter when West found room and buried a backhand into the corner of the goal.
Similar to how the first quarter started, New Zealand went full force at the start of the fourth trying to cut the goal margin. A few attempts were present for both sides as majority of possession was held between the 25-yard lines. Frantic to produce any outcome, the Black Sticks pulled their goalkeeper for a kicking back with 6 minutes remaining. This put USA’s defense to the test to hold off the attack as New Zealand continued to threaten forward. The pressure continued as the clock ticked and USA secured the 3-1 victory.
The U.S. Women’s National Team will have tomorrow off as Pool B finishes their competition. Following the conclusion of the day, the FIH will officially announce the match-ups for the Quarterfinals. For more information on the event including schedule, results and live stream, visit the Sentinel Homes Hockey World League Final event page by clicking here. #HWL2017