Australia

AUSTRALIA completed a clean sweep of the Holiday Inn women's hockey challenge against Korea with a 4-2 win in the sixth Test at the Gold Coast today.

The first half was a seesaw battle with both teams' strong defence keeping the match scoreless for 28 minutes.

Gold Coast hero Nikki Hudson mis-hit a trademark reverse stick shot, which centred nicely for Karen Smith to smash home the first goal.

Korea held most of the attack for the rest of the half and Kim Jung Hee levelled the score before the break with a well-timed deflection.

Rebecca Sanders and 20-year-old Kobie McGurk were the heroes in defence for the Hockeyroos in the first half and worked well with goal keeper Rachel Imison.

The Hockeyroos came out firing after halftime with co-captain Hudson playing a big role in a three-goal onslaught in the first 10 minutes.

Hudson slotted a goal through some silky elimination skills and then helped to set-up fellow Queenslander Smith for her second goal.

Teenager Kate Hollywood netted her first goal for Australia one minute later through a deflection very similar to Smith's.

However the tourists did not lay down and Kim Yun Seon unluckily hit the goal post before Park Jeong Sook scored a miraculous goal later in the match.


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Park slotted a reverse stick shot from almost on the backline, which left Imison bewildered but it was too late for Korea to claw back.
Australia coach Frank Murray said his side's dominating performance throughout the series had given him a lot of confidence in their competitiveness on the world stage.

"I think we'll go to the Commonwealth Games next year as one of the favourites and so we'll expect to do well," he said.

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