Australia: Hudson gets Hockeyroos out of jail
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| Hockey Australia |
August 15, 2005
Hockey Australia
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Australia 2 defeated Korea 1
Goals: Australia – Angie Skirving PC 59m, Nikki Hudson FG 70m; Korea – Kim Yun Seon PC 22m
Hockey Australia: A last-minute penalty corner goal to Nikki Hudson gave Australia a 2-1 win over Korea in the third Holiday Inn Women’s Challenge match in Adelaide.
The win gave the Hockeyroos a 3-0 series lead , with the match again decided by a solitary goal.
In their best performance so far this series, the Hockeyroos continually pushed the Korean defence, creating multiple opportunities with hard running and deft touch. However, they weren’t able to capitalise on their good work with Korean keeper Lim Ju Young making several impressive saves.
The first half was particularly frustrating for Hokeyroos coach, Frank Murray, with numerous penalty corners going wide. Despite dominating proceedings, Australia went into half-time down 0-1 after Kim Yun Seon scored for Korea at the 22 minute mark, from a penalty corner.
After half-time, the Hockeyroos continued to play the better hockey but couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard until Angie Skirving blasted one past the helpless Korean keeper, from a penalty corner, at 59 minutes.
The Australians continued to create more opportunities but it looked like it was going to end in a draw until a last gasp field goal by Hudson, after a Wendy Alcorn interception, saw the Hockeyroos hit the lead with 30 seconds left on the scoreboard.
Coach, Frank Murray, was happy with the win and the encouraging signs a number of the younger members of the team have shown.
“We played very well today but just didn’t capitalise on the chances we created. Sometimes the scoreline masks what happens underneath,” he said.
“Some of the players have put their hands up and shown they are good enough to compete at this level.”
The series now moves to Queensland with matches in Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast. The Hockeyroos will be looking to continue their winning form and extend the 3-0 lead.
“As this series has gone on, we have got progressively better, the girls have got more accustomed to playing with each other. Now we’ll go to Queensland with a few other players coming into the side that we’ll have a look at also.”
The fourth match of the series is on Thursday at the State Hockey Centre in Brisbane.
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