Australia: Hockeyroos snatch last minute win vs Korea
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| Australia |
August 13, 2005
The Age
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Australia took an unbeatable lead in its six-match women's hockey series against Korea on Sunday, pinching a last-minute 2-1 victory.
Korea scored first and held its lead until deep into the second half, before a penalty corner shot from Angie Skirving levelled the match.
The score remained 1-1 until the final minute, when Donna Lee-Patrick found Nikki Hudson just outside the penalty circle.
Hudson dodged a pair of Korean defenders before slamming her shot into the roof of the net, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Korea will be disappointed, leaving Adelaide empty-handed despite being tied in the last minute of two out of three games.
The first half was an even affair, punctuated by numerous chances for both sides.
Korea went close to scoring after three minutes when a high shot required a fine save from Hockeyroos keeper Deanne Gilbert.
Three Australian penalty corner attempts were closed down, with the Koreans unable to score from their first two.
However a third penalty corner - a doubtful decision against Denise Duraski - arrived on 23 minutes and while Kim Eun Sil's initial shot was saved, the rebound fell at the feet of Kim Yun Seon, who tapped in her first international goal.
After the break Australia dominated play but was unable to capitalise quickly despite camping in the Koreans' half.
Chances were plentiful, Melanie Twitt coming closest when her rasping shot flew centimetres wide of the mark.
Korea responded with two further penalty corners, and they neared the last 10 minutes with a 1-0 lead preserved.
But the Australians persisted, and when a further attack led to a corner, Skirving took the chance expertly to level the scores in the 59th minute.
More opportunities were missed by the Hockeyroos and a draw looked likely until Hudson fired home with seconds to spare.
Australia now leads the series 3-0, with the teams moving to Queensland for the final three matches.
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