News for 06 September 2016
All the news for Tuesday 6 September 2016
Ukraine, Italy men and Czech Republic, Poland and Ukraine women qualify for Hockey World League Rd 2
Final minutes of action decide Round Two qualifiers from Prague
Czech Republic women won their event in Prague
Ukraine and Italy men and Czech Republic, Poland and Ukraine women have qualified for the Hockey World League Round 2 following the conclusion of the Hockey World League Round 1 event in Prague, Czech Republic, yesterday.
The final day’s matches of both the men's and women's competition provided a huge amount of excitement as there were several different possibilities as to who would qualify for Round 2 of the competition and continue their dream of Hockey World League Final and World Cup qualification.
In the men’s competition, the two qualification places came down to who had the best goal difference as three teams had the same number of points and matches won. In the women’s competition, top place, and an a bonus of 25 FIH Hero World Ranking points, also came down to goal difference.
On the men’s side, the teams locked at the top of the table were Belarus, Italy and Ukraine. With just one match left to play – between Belarus and Czech Republic – it still wasn’t certain which two teams would go through to Round 2 of the Hockey World League.
Belarus needed to win by four goals or more to overcome Ukraine’s and Italy’s superior goal difference and take first or second place in the group.
They came close, scoring three of the required goals but a single goal for Czech Republic’s Tomas Jahoda, meant that Ukraine ended up in first place.
It was then between Italy and Belarus as to who would take the second coveted spot and Italy will be thankful that Agustin Nunez was in form in front of goal.
His tally of 10 – nine from open play – saw him crowned top scorer and his team take second place and qualify for Hockey World League Round 2.
However, the fact that the Italian defence only conceded three goals in five games played a big role in their progression. This was the best defensive record of the tournament.
Three teams progressed from the women’s competition and, with Czech Republic and Poland winning three matches and losing one and Ukraine winning two matches, all three teams were guaranteed Hockey World League Round 2 action next year.
The final placings came down to the number of goals scored, meaning that the sharp shooting Czech Republic saw them win the competition ahead of Poland, with Ukraine finishing in third place. Lithuania came fourth, after they beat Turkey in a tense shoot-out to register their only win of the event.
The hot-shot trio of Veronica Decsyova, Klara Hanzlova and Barbara Haklova were all on fine form for the Czech Republic in front of goal – they led the top goal scoring chart with four goals apiece. Joining them at the top of the table was Turkey’s Perihan Kucukkoc, who scored all four of her nation’s goals – all from penalty corners.
Marlena Rybacha and Amelia Katerla were also among the goals, with pre-tournament favourites Poland winning three of their four games and, despite finishing second on goal difference, the Polish team will be pleased that they beat the competition winners Czech Republic 3-2 in the pool match. Poland will however rue the match they lost to Ukraine by a single late goal from Viktoriya Stetsenko.
Turkey women will consider themselves unlucky not to have picked up at least one win as two of their matches went to shootouts, but on both occasions – against Lithuania and Ukraine, the Turkish team lost out.
In the match against Ukraine, Turkey scored in the 66th and final minute of the game to take the match to a shootout, but the momentum they had gathered during a frantic final few minutes of the game failed to carry them to a memorable victory.
Hockey World League Round 1 action continues this week with action taking place in the following locations across the world:
Glasgow, Scotland - Men (6-11 Sep)
Accra, Ghana - Men (9-11 Sep)
Accra, Ghana - Women (9-11 Sep)
Antalya, Turkey - Men (9-11 Sep)
FIH site
Coach Garcia drops 2 best hockey players after revolt
WALTER ALIBEY 
Alana Lewis —three-time Hockey Sports Woman of The Year.
T&T’s senior women’s team will be without top two players — Alana Lewis and Samantha Olton — when Round One of the World Hockey League is held in Mexico later this month.
The players were dropped for disciplinary reasons, the T&T Guardian was told. A source close to the team said Lewis and Olton demanded that certain players be selected on the 21-member team currently in training at the National Hockey Centre, Tacarigua, under head coach Brian Garcia.
According to the source, the players questioned the criteria for selection when they noticed certain players in training, and later followed it up with a letter to the management staff threatening to withhold their services.
The letter, it is understood, called for the team to abandon the tournament if certain players were selected. The criteria for selection required players to reach a certain level from a now mandatory ‘Beep Test’ used by all sporting organisations.
Lewis, who was voted Hockey Player of the Year for the past three years (2013, 2014 and 2015), was the captain of the team, while Olton, the 2015 Junior Player of the Year, is considered a tremendous asset.
Contacted yesterday coach Garcia said while he did not want to engage in anything that will disrupt the preparation of the team, he felt the team was stronger without the players, as their actions have shown their lack of commitment which will eventually hamper the unit at the tournament.
Garcia said: “It is quite alright for players to have an opinion on the composition of the team, but when one puts it in writing to the staff and demand they will not play if certain players are selected, then it borders on disrespect.”
He noted the players were later called into a meeting and told that team selection was not their responsibility. He made it clear coaches pick players for different reasons, tactically and otherwise.
He added: “Because of the volume of tournaments for junior players in recent times, the senior players have been out of action for a while, but coaches choose players on their ability, which is the responsibility given to him.
“We must never reach a position where players are making demands on the selection of the team, as it will be the beginning of the end of T&T sports. This does not happen anywhere in the world and therefore I told the players I could not accept their behaviour.”
He made it clear hockey will go on with or without the players. “I think they are good players who have a lot to offer, but they must not use their abilities to dictate what happens in the sport. I think the sad thing is that the players have shown no remorse for their actions, as they really feel that they can demand who the coach should pick.”
Apart from team selection the players also queried player attendance at training sessions.
Garcia said he only wanted the players to focus on playing, adding he thought Lewis particularly, could have channeled her energy towards helping the many young players who look up to her.
The Trinidad Guardian
New competition likely to ease jetlag for Black Sticks
By David Leggat
Black Sticks at Rio Olympics. Photo / Photosport
A new transtasman hockey initiative should guarantee the two Black Sticks teams high quality competition for the next four years, minus the lengthy travel.
Both Black Sticks teams, ranked fifth (women) and eighth, get plenty of international competition, but invariably it involves travel around the globe.
Starting on November 17, all four national sides will play three doubleheaders at Auckland's Lloyd Elsmore Park, with the same format to be repeated in Canberra next year, Auckland in 2018 and the Australian capital again the following year.
Australia's men, despite an ignominious quarter-final Olympic loss to the Netherlands, remain world No1 while the women have slipped one spot - as have their New Zealand rivals - to fourth in the wake of England's (officially called Britain at the Games) leap up the table to No2 on the strength of the Olympic gold medal triumph.
It's the first partnership of this kind between the New Zealand and Australian national bodies, and marks a significant milestone in a wider long-term partnership either side of the Tasman.
The teams met in the men's and women's Olympic tournaments in Rio, with contrasting fortunes. Australia won the men's clash, 1-0, but New Zealand dumped Australia 4-2 in the women's quarter-finals.
Hockey New Zealand high performance director Terry Evans said the event will provide fantastic development opportunities for the Black Sticks against world class opposition close to home.
"This is a huge development for Hockey New Zealand as we look to build an even closer relationship with our Australian counterparts on all levels," Evans said. "Having the opportunity to play an annual event gives our Black Sticks men and women amazing experience against two of the world's best teams as well as an unbeatable spectacle for fans.
"From a high performance perspective it's a rivalry which will help our teams get stronger and more confident the more we play them."
The women's match will be the curtain-raiser on November 17, but will be the main feature on the other two days, November 19 and 20.
Women's coach Mark Hager is contracted through until 2018 but men's mentor Colin Batch's contract ends this year. He is understood to be in talks with HNZ.
The New Zealand Herald
Splendid win for Tamil Nadu
BPCL subdues Air India
By S Thyagarajan
An action packed moment in the Tamil Nadu-Mumbai match
With an impressive performance that warmed the cockles of many a local heart, the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu (HUTN) scored a splendid 3-2 victory over Mumbai Hockey Association to earn full points from its first win in three matches in Pool A in the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup tournament on Monday at the Mayor Radhakrishan Stadium.
The home team has created a lot of expectation in the tournament after holding the seasoned Air India to a 2-2 draw in the opening match. Of course, the defending champion, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), was more than difficult to handle in the second match.
But on Sunday, the Tamil Nadu team showed an appreciable measure of resilience to come back from a 1-2 deficit to coast to a thrilling win.
Everything looked rosy for the home team when Veera Thamizan hoisted the lead in the 17th minute but Mumbai hit back to come on par with Jugraj Singh converting a penalty corner. The teams went for the break with scoreboard reading 1-1.
Jugraj Singh pumped in another penalty corner shortly after resumption to put Mumbai in a position of advantage.
Until the last 10 minutes, MHA was sailing comfortably. It was at this point that Tamil Nadu wrested the initiative with a goal by Hassan Basha. With excitement escalating, the match winner surfaced five minutes before the hooter when Judson Gabriel found the net.
With four points from three matches, Tamil Nadu is well placed on the table. Slated to meet BPCL, which recorded its second successive victory on Monday, the local team has a lot to handle when it faces BPCL on September 8.
In keeping with its stature as a premier outfit in the country, BPCL brushed aside Air India in another Pool A match. The 3-0 score line illustrates the dominance of the winner.
Leading 2-0 at halftime with a brace by Sunil Somwarpet, both field goals, BPCL settled the issue when five minutes remained from the final whistle. Sher Singh took credit for the third goal.
The results:
Pool A: Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu (HUTN) 3 (Veera Thamizan, Hassan Basha, Judson Gabriel George) beat Mumbai Hockey Association 2 (Jugraj Singh 2)
BPCL 3 (Sunil Somwarpet 2, Sher Singh) beat Air India 0.
Fieldhockey.com
Faizal can play in Alagendra Cup semis
By Jugjet Singh
SAPURA Hockey Club are as good as in the final of the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup as they face an amateur side in the semi-finals Tuesday.
They were paired off with Division One outfit Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) for the last four, and there could even be a thrashing in Johor Baru Tuesday.
The other semi-finals is between Premier Division sides Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) and Tenaga Nasional -- and it could go to the wire.
In the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL), THT and Tenaga drew 4-4.
However, SSTMI could only beat Politeknik Malaysia, another Division One side, 3-0 in the shoot-out after being tied 1-1 during regulation time in the Alagendra Cup quarter-finals.
As for THT even though Faizal Shaari, who scored 17 goals for them last season, received a red card while playing against Universiti Kuala Lumpur on Sunday -- he is still eligible to turn out for the Alagendra Cup.
"He received the red card in the Premier Division of the MHL, while the Alagendra Cup is a diffeent tournament and so, Faizal is eligible to play on Tuesday (today)," said MHL Tournament Director Jusvir Singh.
Faizal called umpire Nor Azhar 'bodoh' (stupid) and will be reffered to the MHL disciplinary committee today for further action in the League.
Sapura coach Yahya Atan said: "Even though we should have a relatively easy time against SSTMI as compared to the Tenaga-THT match, we need to keep keep our feet on the ground to lay our hands on the inaugural Alagendra Cup."
"Tenaga have shown they are no pushovers, and with our strikers finding it hard to score goals, we will be bracing for a tough time in the semi-finals," said THT coach Sarjit Singh.
THT, last season's double champions, are almost out of the running for the League title as their No 1 striker Faizal has yet to score a single goal. His 17 goals last year powered THT to the two titles, as well as the Razak Cup gold.
TUESDAY -- ALAGENDRA CUP Semi-finals: Tenaga Nasional v Terengganu HT (KLHA,6pm), SSTMI v Sapura (SSTMI, 6pm).
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Tenaga aim to bounce back after poor start
by Aftar Singh
KUALA LUMPUR: Seasoned campaigners Tenaga Nasional are going through their worst season in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).
Tenaga, an MHL regular since its inception in 1987, have yet to secure a win in six matches in the Premier Division. They are last in the six-team league with just two points.
But Tenaga still hope to upset double champions Terengganu in the semi-finals of the inaugural Tan Sri P. Alagendra Knockout Trophy at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.
Earlier in their Premier Division clash, Tenaga were leading 4-3 against Terengganu before the east coast team scored in the dying minutes to snatch a 4-4 draw.
“Although we did not perform well in the Premier Division, we have done well to reach the semi-finals of the Knockout Trophy,” said Tenaga coach Mohd Amin Rahim.
“We have a young team of all local players. And they have vowed to give their best to get the better of Terengganu.”
Muhd Najib Abu Hassan will be back to marshal Tenaga’s defence after serving his one-match suspension.
There is also good news for Terengganu as forward Faizal Saari, who was sent off in the 2-1 win over Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) in the Premier Division on Sunday, is eligible to play.
Said tournament director Jusvir Singh: “The Premier Division and the Knockout Trophy are two different tournaments.”
Terengganu coach Sarjit Singh is happy that Faizal, the team’s top scorer with 17 goals last season, is available to lead the attack.
“We almost lost to Tenaga in the league. We are expecting another tough match. I want my players to make use of the chances to reach the final,” said Sarjit.
Premier Division leaders Sapura will start as overwhelming favourites against Division One outfit Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) in the other semi-final in Johor Baru.
The final is at the Tun Razak Stadium on Sept 13.
The Star of Malaysia
Cal field hockey loses 2 home matches this weekend
By Lucy Schaefer
Photo: Michael Wan
The Cal field hockey team only recorded a few shots across its two games this weekend and only had one that crossed the goal line. In the Bears’ game against Michigan on Sunday, Cal redshirt sophomore Katrina Carter decided she would go for a shot just before a Michigan defender made a cut in.
Carter struck the ball and it sailed past the goalkeeper. Fans cheered. Carter, however, was outside the semicircle, so the goal was recalled.
This was the general theme of the weekend. Cal just couldn’t catch a break. The Bears lost to a pair of typically well-regarded field hockey programs, falling against Kent State, 2-0, and Michigan, 5-0.
Against Kent State, Cal had six penalty corner opportunities after having none in its season-opening loss to Northeastern. The Bears, however, did not spend much time fine-tuning their corners in the preseason and were shut down in their corner attempts.
The team also had some problems with man-to-man coverage, but in the first half the defense did whatever it took to keep a goal out. Going into the halftime, the score was still 0-0, but Kent State possessed the ball in its offensive half for the majority of the period. The Bears in general looked very tense — when they had the ball they would often hastily pass it up field, where there was no receiver.
“We started spiraling down, and we don’t really have the tools yet to stop that. I would say I was disappointed after the way we started last week,” said Cal head coach Shellie Onstead. “We were forcing things we didn’t have to force, and I think that was just a reaction to pressure.”
The standout players from the Kent State game were sophomore Janaye Sakkas and junior goalkeeper Kori Griswold. As soon as Sakkas would sub into the game, she would automatically boost the team’s energy, often creating a fast break toward the goal. Griswold also played an essential role in keeping the score 2-0 despite many Kent State shot attempts.
“Kent State was a really difficult game for us because we didn’t connect as well as we normally do, but then we had the opportunity to really analyze and set ourselves up and clear the slate for today,” Carter said. “I think we did an amazing job.”
Despite the 5-0 loss in the Michigan game, Cal made significant improvements in energy level and man-to-man coverage from Friday to Sunday.
For most of the match, play was very even. But for a period of about five minutes in the second half, the Bears fell apart. They got very rushed and started to lose their defensive marking, giving up three goals in that short span.
Once time ran out, Michigan lined up for one more penalty corner, scoring its fifth goal of the day.
Ultimately, the score was not completely reflective of the evenness of play, but in the coming week, Cal needs to focus on consistency with possession.
“The errors that led to goals were actually pretty simple,” Onstead said. “I think the fix is easier than it looks when you see 5-0, and I think the challenge now is just keeping our spirits up and looking ahead.”
The Daily Californian
Penn field hockey splits season-opening weekend doubleheader
Quakers beat Lehigh 2-0, lose to UNC 6-2
By Will Agathis
Penn field hockey's star, junior attack Alexa Hoover, showed her abilities not just as a goalscorer, but a playmaker last weekend against Lehigh, generating a crafty assist to teammate Gina Guccione. Photo by Ananya Chandra
The final boxscore never seems to tell the whole story. That was certainly the case for Penn field hockey in both games played this weekend: a dominant 2-0 victory over Lehigh as well as a hard-fought and well-contested effort in a 6-2 loss versus No. 1 North Carolina.
On Friday, the Quakers (1-1) hosted Lehigh (1-2) in the Red and Blue’s season opener. The Quakers dominated the entire first half, with 12 shots and nine corners, but no goals to show for it. Junior attack Gina Guccione expressed the difficulty of scoring against a flurry of Lehigh defenders.
“I think in the beginning of the game we had some nice movement, some nice passes down the line, but once we got to the corner they had a lot of defenders in the circle, which is hard for us to get an open shot off,” Guccione said. “So we had to change our mindset going into the second half, recognizing that there are a lot of players in the circle, and maybe look for a different pass inside the circle or a ball from the top of the circle from one of our midfielders.
After more than 50 minutes of play, Guccione would open up the scoring for her team when she took a long pass from junior back Jasmine Li just outside the circle. She would dodge a defender before firing off a well-placed shot that would give Penn the lead.
The Mountain Hawks clawed hard in the second half with six shots on goal, but the Quakers' offense continued to outplay Lehigh’s. The Quakers controlled possession and had most of the game’s great chances in the second frame, including the one that resulted in their second goal.
With just over seven minutes left, Guccione and junior attack Alexa Hoover found themselves in a position to attack from just outside the circle. Looking to split the defense, Hoover drew pressure from one of Lehigh’s backs before flicking the ball to Guccione, who outshone the defense and picked up her second goal of the game.
Penn coach Colleen Fink was happy to see Hoover, the Ivy League’s top goalscorer in 2015 and one of the game’s top talents, display her playmaking skills on Guccione’s second goal.
“I think when you have a player like Hoover, the nice thing is she attracts a lot of attention. You have to mark her pretty tight and I think that was the case today,” Fink said. “She was a great playmaker today.”
Of course, Guccione’s tenacity with the ball on her stick — fully showcased in both of her goals — deserved some praise from Fink as well.
“She’s definitely really strong on the ball.”
The offense delivered in the second half, but the defense was putting on a clinic for the entire 70 minutes. Senior captain Claire Kneizys led the backfield along with Li, who set up the game’s first goal. After Nicole Mackin graduated in 2015, it was anyone’s guess who would fill that vacancy in the lineup. Fink opted with a platoon of backs who succeeded with limited minutes.
“I think Paige Meilly and Laura Shelton and Madison Hendry all filled that role,” Fink said. “They all did a really great job.”
The defense surrendered just six shots and only three on goal. Junior goalkeeper Liz Mata did not need to stand on her head for the Quakers but did notch her second career shutout on Friday.
The tides turned on Sunday when the Quakers faced off with the nation’s top-ranked team in UNC. The Tarheels (3-1) came to Ellen Vagelos Field with hundreds of fans and aspirations to knock off Penn. They succeeded in doing so, but were not able to pull away from the Quakers as much as they would have liked.
The 6-2 final is a bit misleading given the circumstances: four of UNC’s goals came in a less than 10-minute span in the middle of the first half. After Fink used a timeout to regroup her team, the game settled down significantly.
Fink and Kneizys both acknowledge that the team fell apart in those 10 minutes, but stayed strong for the other 60. Unfortunately, the Tar Heels’ onslaught in that short period put the game out of reach before Penn could ever respond.
“When they started getting momentum we didn’t do a good job of getting back in the game and slowing down their momentum,” Kneizys said. “They had a 10-minute period where they got all the momentum and a couple goals but after that we focused on game management and keeping mentally strong.”
The Red and Blue’s scoring started with just seconds left in the first half. Sophomore Sofia Palacios took a nice feed on a penalty corner and fired a ball that found the back of the net. She picked up another goal late in the second half playing the ball right next to the end line and delivering on a difficult sharp-angled shot.
Those two goals were not enough to overcome the Tar Heels’ offensive strategy of “attacking in twos.”
“Something UNC did really nicely was attacking in twos, and that’s something we’ve been working on, so we’re going to try doing that more,” Kneizys said.
Heading into another doubleheader weekend – a Friday game against LIU Brooklyn at Vagelos Field followed by a road game at neighboring St. Joe's – it is apparent that the team could learn from UNC’s offensive approach.
“We got a little down on ourselves, but I think that’s a product of our vulnerability in the midfield just in terms of how to handle a team that attacks in twos really well,” Fink said. When you have a small roster size, that’s difficult to simulate in practice. It’s something that we’re going to have to get really creative to try to address in the next two weeks.”
The Daily Pennsylvanian
4 Dar Academy Boys in Pakistan's Under 18 for Junior Asia Cup
By Ijaz Chaudhry
Dar Hockey Academy's four colts have been named in the recently announced Pakistan under 18 team for the 4th Junior Asia Cup scheduled in Dhaka, Bangladesh from September 24-30.
The boys are:-
Waqar Younis(goal keeper), Ali Aziz, Adeel Latif & Awais Arshad
In addition, two more, Awais Rasheed (goal keeper) and Zulqarnain are among the standbys for the above tournament.
Four of these six players toured with the Dar HA Colts' team which toured Netherlands last year.
Dar HA played nine matches against various Dutch sides, both senior and age group. That experience helped a lot in the grooming of these boys.
Goal Keeping has been Pakistan hockey's sore point in recent times at all levels.
Dar HA's custodian Waqar Younis is in the 18 member squad while Awais Rasheed is a standby.
For this, credit goes to Dar Academy's goal keeping coach Waqas Butt who has put in a lot of effort in the training of the net minders.
Ijaz Chaudhry writes on hockey & other sports. For more about him and his work, visit www.sportscorrespondent.info
Fieldhockey.com
Double delight for England Red at School Games
England Red celebrate their titles
It was double delight for England Red at the UK School Games this weekend as they scooped both men’s and women’s titles in two keenly contested tournaments.
The School Games provides a crucial environment to nurture top young athletes who come through the NGB talent systems. The four-day spectacular is supported by National Lottery funding from Sport England and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust. Lottery funding from Sport England supports not just the sport and event delivery, but also a full athlete education programme, which gives the young athletes an insight on life at the very highest level of sporting competition.
With three England teams (Red, White and Blue) plus teams from Scotland, Wales and Ulster the competition was fierce.
In the women’s competition, England Blue raced through to the final with two wins from two in the pool stages, besting Wales 3-1 and England White 4-3. England White had a tough time of things, going down 4-0 to Wales and losing out to England Blue, meaning they would play in the 5th/6th playoff and Wales would compete in the 3rd/4th match.
The other pool went right down to the wire with England Red, Ulster and Scotland all posting one win each, but England Red reached the final by virtue of their superior goal difference, leaving Ulster to fight for 3rd/4th and Scotland in the 5th/6th match.
The final was a keenly contested match with England Blue going ahead through Alice Blades. It stayed that way till the stroke of half time when Paige Gillott levelled the scores. Further strikes from Emma Bickley and Holly Dean extended England Red’s lead before Gillot nabbed her second to put the gloss on the scores and take the title.
All the women’s results, scorers and standings can be found here.
In the men’s competition England Blue won two from two in the pool stages, defeating Wales 8-1 and Scotland 2-0 to book their place in the final. The other pool was far from straightforward. With England Red defeating England White in a tense 4-3 thriller and Ulster posting the same score against England White it all came down to England Red vs. Ulster. A tense 2-2 draw followed and with goal difference and goals scored unable to separate the sides, a shootout was needed to decide the finalist. England Red held their nerve to win 4-2 and book a place in the final, whilst Ulster had to be content with the 3rd/4th place match.
The final, between England Red and England Blue went the way of the Reds as goals in each half from Owen Williamson and Ronan Harvey-Kelly settled matters, sealing a 2-0 win and allowing captain Imre Gerrits to get his hands on the trophy in an England Red double triumph.
All the men’s results scorers and standings can be found here.
For details on the School Games, visit the official website.
England Hockey Board Media release