Australian Women’s Hockey Team wins sixth test of six-match series against China
The Australian women’s hockey team once more displayed a fantastic show, emerging as the winner over China in the sixth test of the six-match series, played on November 03, at the Perth Hockey Stadium, Australia.
The Hockeyroos scored six goals against the four of their rivals, concluding the six-match series by 5-0. With an unbeaten record, the Hockeyroos won five out of six games, while allowing a draw in one of the matches.
The Australian women, the world’s number seven team, showed outstanding performances against China, the team holding the fifth position in the world rankings, throughout the six matches.
It is vital to mention here that this tournament was the last international assignment for the Hockeyroos in the current year.
The line-up displayed an upward trend in terms of performance, indicating constant improvement throughout 2011, under the supervision of the new trainer, Adam Commens.
Although the Australian team had a tremendous record throughout the previous matches, things did not go entirely their way initially. It was the Chinese Team that drew the first blood in the very early minutes of the match.
Lihua Gao managed to drive the ball to the top of the circle, scoring the first goal for China and putting her side ahead of Australia by 1-0.
However, China’s lead did not last for long. Hockeyroos skipper, Madonna Blyth, converted a short corner in the fourth minute of the play, tying the knots at one-all.
Following a few thumps in the early minutes, the Aussies flexed their muscles and established their dominance.
Casey Eastham and Georgia Nanscawen scored one goal each in the 13th and the 20th minutes mark, respectively, taking Australia’s lead up by two goals, 3-1.
After an end-to-end play in the remaining minutes, the first half action concluded with China trailing behind Australia by two goals, 3-1.
With one minute into the second period, Lisa Eglington marked a goal from the field and extended the Hockeyroos’ lead up to three, 4-1.
Lihua Gao and Ashleigh Nelson exchanged one goal in the later minutes, taking the score to 5-2.
Yang Peng and Weilin Mao scored one goal apiece, reducing the Australian advantage down to a single goal, 5-4.
However, Ashleigh Nelson accounted for another goal in the 63rd minute mark, sealing the victory for Australia at 6-4.
The Hockeyroos bagged the series with a 5-0 margin. The Australians concluded the year 2011 at a great victorious note which will also give them a head start for the 2012 London Games.