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All the. News for Thursday 8 August 2019

Pan Am Games 2019 (Men) - Day 10
Lima (PER)

Fixtures (GMT -5)

8 Aug 2019 09:30     PER v CUB (Cross-over)
8 Aug 2019 11:45     MEX v TTO (Cross-over)
8 Aug 2019 15:00     ARG v USA (SF1)
8 Aug 2019 17:15     CHI v CAN (SF2)

FIH Match Centre

Live From Lima: Semifinal Scouting Report - USMNT vs. Argentina



As a lead up to tomorrow’s Pan American Games (PAG) match-up, here are a few details you’ll want to know before the starting whistle.

Game Day: Thursday, August 8, 2019

Time: 4:00 p.m. ET

Live Stream: WatchESPN.com

Opponent: Argentina

FIH World Ranking: 4

2015 Pan American Games Finish: 1

Current Pan American Games Record: 4-0-0

Last Time USA Played Opponent: At the 2017 men's Pan American Cup in Lancaster, Pa., the No. 24 USMNT met No. 4 Argentina in their first pool play game. The match resulted in a score of 6-0 in favor of Los Leones, where Matias Paredes tallied two. The teams also played one another at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada with the same 6-0 scoreline after the full 60 minutes.

What You Need to Know: Reigning Pan American Games champion Argentina has not lost a match in the PAG and scored at least five goals in each. Maico Casella and Leandro Tolini have scored the majority of the team’s goals, both with eight. Argentina’s closest game was against No. 10 Chile who kept Argentina to five goals, denying all chances in the second half. Most recently, Argentina defeated Peru in the quarterfinals 14-1.

The USMNT will look to upset Argentina for a chance to appear in the gold medal match. Coming off a strong quarterfinal win over Cuba, this is the first time USA has made it to the semifinal round of the PAG since 1995.

Argentina Name Roster:

#            Name     Caps
1           Juan Vivaldi (GK)     268
5           Pedro Ibarra (C)     286
6           Santiago Tarazona     48
7           Nicolas Keenan     11
9           Maico Casella     53
10           Matias Paredes     354
12           Lucas Vila     234
13           Leandro Tolini     52
16           Ignacio Ortiz     151
17           Juan Lopez     292
21           Tomas Santiago (GK)     21
22           Matias Rey     198
23           Lucas Martinez     55
24           Nicolas Cicileo     39
26           Agustin Mazzilli     215
28           Frederico Fernandez     31
30           Agustin Bugallo     61
32           Martin Ferreiro     34
                   
            Head Coach: German Orozco
            Assistant Coaches: Tomas MacCormik & Matias Vila
            Manager: Martin Elli

USFHA media release

EuroHockey Championship II (Women) 2019 - Day 5
Glasgow, Scotland

Results

7 Aug 2019     ITA v TUR (Pool A)         10 - 1
7 Aug 2019     WAL v POL (Pool A)     2 - 2
7 Aug 2019    UKR v CZE (Pool B)     4 - 3
7 Aug 2019     SCO v AUT (Pool B)     3 - 0

8 August is a rest day

Final Pool Standings

Pool A

Pool B

FIH Match Centre

Heartbreak for Wales as Scotland power to third straight EuroHockey Championships II win


Wales v Poland 2019 EuroHockey Championships II

Wales’ bid to gain promotion to the EuroHockey Championships top tier will be put on hold for another two years after a draw against Poland saw them finish third in their group.

Needing a victory to qualify for the semi-finals, Sarah Jones and Leah Wilkinson were on target for Wales but it was only enough to see them finish level and miss out on second place in the pool by a point.

There was plenty more success for hosts Scotland though as they brushed past Austria to maintain their 100% record and set up a semi-final tie with Poland.

Wales 2 (1)
Jones (28’, PC), Wilkinson (60’, FG)

Poland 2 (1)
Zagajska (7’, FG), Blaszyk (32’, FG)

Following Italy’s 10-1 demolition of Turkey, Wales knew only a victory over Poland would be enough to keep alive their chances of finishing in the top two and thus secure a spot in the 2021 EuroHockey Championships.

They would have been buoyed by the fact that they had beaten their opponents in their last seven competitive matches, including a 3-0 series whitewash last August as well as a 2-1 win at the 2017 EuroHockey Championships II.

But it was the Poles who took the early advantage through Magdalena Zagajska before torrential rain saw play delayed in the second quarter, with the match having already started late due to a previous downpour.

Jones then bagged her second goal of the tournament to equalise with an instinctive finish two minutes before half-time, only for Poland to go back into the lead through Wiktoria Blaszyk in the 32nd minute.

Wales pushed hard to find the equaliser but it didn’t come until too late when Wilkinson smashed the ball home with just 40 seconds remaining.

Scotland 3 (3)
Eadie (8’, FG), Jamieson (11’, FG), Holmes (16’, PS)

Austria 0 (0)

The final group game of this year’s event saw Scotland stroll to a third consecutive victory, with an eight minute scoring spree enough to condemn Austria to defeat.

Jennifer Eadie opened proceedings as she converted a great team move in the eighth minute before Sarah Jamieson found the bottom corner with precision three minutes later.

Kate Holmes produced a similarly accurate finish from a stroke less than 60 seconds into the second quarter and from there on Scotland saw the game out, assured in the knowledge that they would finish top of the group.

They face Poland in the second semi-final at 17:00 on Friday 9 August, with Italy taking on Austria in the other game.

Meanwhile Wales now enter a pool to determine which two teams will be relegated to the EuroHockey Championships III. The three points from their 5-1 victory against Turkey carry over to this pool and they will also face up against Ukraine (12:30, 9 August) and Czech Republic (09:30, 10 August).

All of these fixtures will be live to watch on the BBC Sport website and on eurohockeytv.org.

Great Britain Hockey media release

Scotland women top Pool at Euros in Glasgow – crucial semi-final awaits on Friday



Scotland finished top of Pool B in Women’s EuroHockey Championship II in Glasgow with three wins from three after beating Austria 3-0. Goals from Jen Eadie; Sarah Jamieson; and Kate Holmes saw them bag the win and will play for promotion in a winner-take-all semi-final against Poland.

Scotland were pressing right from the start and taking the game to Austria in the early stages. The Tartan Hearts took the lead through a powerful solo run and finish by Jen Eadie; her finish was precise as she fizzed the ball low into the net by the left post from a tight angle.


Scotland v Austria. Fiona Burnett and Jen Eadie celebrate the opening Scotland goal. Photo by Duncan Gray

There was nearly a second goal for Scotland when Fiona Semple arrived at the far post with just the keeper to beat, but a good save denied the goal.

It wouldn’t take Scotland too long to get their second goal. It came through a powerful low shot by Sarah Jamieson that crashed against the backboard to make it 2-0.

At the end of the opening quarter Charlotte Watson came close as she weaved her way into the D through a number of players but was snuffed out before getting her shot away.

Kate Holmes added her name to the score sheet from the penalty spot. Holmes launched the ball low to the bottom right corner to put Scotland 3-0 ahead before half time.

Early in the second half Scotland looked like grabbing another goal when a lovely penalty corner routine found Jamieson moving off the injector spot to smash goal ward but the goalkeeper saved and the ball popped up in the air.

The Scots controlled the third quarter but Austria did well to keep them out. The final quarter saw Scotland come close through a number of penalty corner routines. First Robyn Collins was denied when her drag flick was saved low to the right post.

Emily Dark blasted a shot from the top of the D right but a superb diving save denied her the goal.

Eadie very nearly grabbed her second goal when she arrived late in the D to shoot towards the bottom left corner but another good save batted the ball clear.

Scotland play Poland for promotion, and a place in the final, on Friday evening at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.

Scottish Hockey Union media release

EuroHockey Championship IV (Men) 2019 - Day 2
Helsinki, Finland

Results

7 Aug 2019     CYP v NOR (Pool A)     1 - 1
7 Aug 2019     HUN v SLO (Pool A)     3 - 2

Fixture (GMT +2)

8 Aug 2019 18:00     FIN v CYP (Pool A)

Pool Standing

Pool A

FIH Match Centre

2019 Test match JPN v AUS (M)
Osaka-fu, Japan

7 Aug 2019     JPN v AUS     0 - 3

FIH Match Centre

Post match reaction from win over Japan

Mitch Wynd



Kookaburras Head Coach Colin Batch and 100 game milestone man Flynn Ogilvie gave their reflections after the 3-0 win over Japan in Osaka last night.

How would you sum up the game and the performance considering it was the first competitive hit out the team has had since winning the Pro League Grand Final?

Colin Batch (CB): “We were a bit rusty as you would expect. It was a challenging game and we certainly didn’t have it all our own way.

“We had a number of chances and they defended well, and at the same time we had to defend well to keep them out on occasions. Japan have improved quite a bit since the last time we saw them.”

It must have been special for Flynn Ogilvie to get on the score sheet in his 100th appearance?

CB: “He scored early which was pleasing and his goal shooting is something he’s been working on so that was good and then later in the half at the other end he made a save off the line, so he’s doing some good work at both ends of the field.”

A big reason for your trip to Japan has been to acclimatise to the conditions over there and spend some time in hotter temperatures. How do you think the players handled the conditions?

CB: “We have played in Malaysia a lot where the conditions can be stifling as well, so it’s not foreign to us but we need to acclimatise and that was one of the big reasons for coming over for this trip.”

“It is fair to say Japan are used to those conditions and I think it could be in their favour come the Olympics.”

Congratulations on reaching 100 caps Flynn after making your debut in 2014. How did it feel getting to the 100 game milestone? Did it feel like a special occasion?

Flynn Ogilvie (FO): “Coming into the team in 2014 I didn’t get to play many games early on because there were so many quality senior guys in the team but then there was a bit of change among the playing group and fresh coaching staff and I started to get more of a run. Then I tore my hamstring off the bone so I put in a lot of hours with our strength and conditioning staff and got back at the start of 2018.

“But today was awesome. It was only a friendly game but the boys made it pretty special and made a little presentation to me before the game.

“When you play an international it doesn’t matter what it is, it’s always special playing for Australia and pulling on the green and gold.”

You opened the scoring inside the opening 10 minutes tonight – you almost couldn’t script that in your 100th?

FO: “After the Pro League Final when I scored as well, it’s just good to score at the moment because I was on a bit of a drought there for a while. But to score in my 100th was pretty special and to do it so early was nice and took a bit of pressure off.

Colin mentioned that getting forward and being on the score sheet more often is something you have really been working on. How do you feel like you’re tracking at the moment, both individually and as a squad?

FO: “I didn’t see myself as a much of a goal scorer so I’ve been putting in a lot of work in that area at training and it looks like it’s starting to pay off – hopefully it keeps continuing.

“Striker is probably the position where we have the most depth so it’s always tough getting selected there because we’ve got plenty of scorers and players in that striker line so hopefully I can keep playing well, putting some goals in and maintain my spot.”

Arguably that is what makes this team get even better when players are pushing each other and there is a lot of depth for positions?

FO: “Tom Wickham and Aaron Kleinschmidt both sat out today, and Jack Hayes and Dylan Wotherspoon were both out as well through injury, so they will all be pushing the guys that played today really hard. Then there’s Jack Welch to come back in as well from injury, so there are plenty of guys that are playing at the moment on their toes.”

Finally, you’re 25 years of age so surely you have a number of good years in front of you and 200 or even 300 caps are not out of the question?

FO: “I’d like to see myself at the bottom end of the mid age group in the squad so hopefully I do have a number of good years ahead of me and keep playing good hockey.”

Match Details

Kookaburras 3 (Ogilvie 7’, Govers 33’, Anderson 57’)

Japan 0
@ Ritsumeikan University, Osaka, Japan

Hockey Australia media release

2019 Test matches BEL v IRL (W) - 1st Test
Wilrijk (BEL)

7 Aug 2019 18:00     BEL v IRL     4 - 2

FIH Match Centre

Belgian set piece efficiency outdoes the Green Machine on Euro Champs’ turf



Ireland’s women got a taster of the turf of the new European Championships in Antwerp as they fell to next to the competition hosts Belgium 4-2 in a challenge match.

Ultimately, the Belgians’ penalty corner efficiency saw them home, scoring three out of four set-pieces.

An early drag-flick goal from Louise Versavel in the third minute proved the only goal of the first half.

This was counter-acted by Sarah Hawkshaw who turned in a Katie Mullan reverse-stick cross at the back post for 1-1 in the 41st minute.

Mullan and Lizzie Colvin were in good form throughout the tie and were only denied by some good goalkeeping from Elodie Picard and Aisling D’Hooghe.

But two more Belgian corners stretched out a 3-1 lead via Stephanie van den Borre and Ambre Ballenghien in rapid succession early in the fourth quarter before Zoe Wilson continued her good form in front of goal with a direct hit to cut the gap with six minutes left.

In the closing moments, however, the hosts grabbed an insurance goal from Anne-Sophie Weyns to take the laurels. The two sides meet again on Friday afternoon at the same venue in their final preparation game for the main event which begins a week later.

Women’s international test match

Belgium 4 (L Versavel, S van den Borre, A Ballenghien, A-S Weyns) Ireland 2 (S Hawkshaw, Z Wilson)

Ireland: L Murphy, R Upton, S Barr, N Evans, L Tice, B Barr, C Watkins, L Colvin, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson, D Duke
Subs: K Mullan, S McCay, H Matthews, S Hawkshaw, E Curran, A Meeke, E Buckley

Belgium: E Picard, S Limauge, J Vandermeiren, E Puvrez, L Versavel, A Gerniers, B Nelen, S van den Borre, P Leclef, L Hillewaert, J Boon
Subs: A Raye, A Fobe, E Sinia, A-S Weyns, M Struijk, A Ballenghien, A D’Hooghe

The Hook

Oltmans’ men give Holland a mighty scare

By AFTAR SINGH


On the score-sheet: Faizal Saari scored the fourth goal for Malaysia against Holland.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia are slowly but surely on the rise against top European teams in hockey.

Roelant Oltmans’ men gave world No. 3 Holland a tough fight before going down 6-4 in Breda, Holland, on Tuesday.

Oltmans said although they lost, his players have shown steady improvement.

“We played an attacking game and managed to score four goals, and this is a good indication that we can score more but at same time we were punished for making mistakes in defence.

“But it was still a good performance and this shows that we can hold our own against the world’s top teams.

“We will analyse the game against Holland to see how we can perform better in the second Test tomorrow (today), ” said the Dutchman.

It was a respectable scoreline for world No. 12 Malaysia as they were trounced 7-0 by the Dutch in their World Cup opening match in Bhubanes-war, India, last December.

Holland, who went on to finished runners-up to Belgium, took an early lead in the second minute through Mirco Pruijser before forward Shahril Saabah equalised nine minutes later.

The homesters then turned up the heat to score twice in the space of seven minutes through Jip Janssen (13th) and Pruijser (20th).

But the Malaysians fought back when pint-sized defender Faiz Jali wriggled his way through to sound the board and narrow the deficit in the 29th minute. Janssen netted his second goal and his country’s fourth off a penalty corner in the 38th minute.

Five minutes later, Muhd Razie Abdul Rahim converted a penalty corner to make it 3-4.

But Holland stormed back with another two quick goals through Jelle Gamela (49th) and Thierry Brinkman two minutes late.

Malaysia, who are preparing for the playoff matches to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, scored their fourth through Faizal Saari off a penalty corner.

The Star of Malaysia

SAVITA; We need to focus on winning big matches

s2h Team



Defense will be key, says Indian Women's Hockey Team Vice-Captain Savita Bengaluru, 07 August 2019: India's men and women's hockey teams are in their final week of preparation for the Olympic Test Event which takes place in Tokyo, Japan from August 17 - 21, 2019. Here are the views of vice-captain and goalkeeper Savita (Caps 193).

"We have a very talented bunch of players in our team, and these players have been playing together for a long time. We understand each other on and off the field, and it is something that helps us immensely to perform collectively. We also understand each other's strengths and weaknesses, and are able to help out our teammates in crunch situations."

"We will be playing a very strong team in Australia who we played well against during last year's Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. It was a tough defeat to take as we lost by a solitary goal, and it was the Semi-Final of the tournament. However, we were proud of our performance, and to match the World No. 2 side in all departments is something that was good to see. This time, we need to make sure that we defend well as a unit, and not give them any easy chances. I feel that defense will be key in determining who wins the upcoming tournament in Tokyo."

"In the past couple of years we have had the chance to play in huge matches, but there have been times when we have lacked a bit. But I think the team has improved tremendously, and we can even match the likes of World No. 2 Australia. We need to focus on winning the big matches, and we showed that we are capable of doing it when we won the Final match of the FIH Women's Series Finals by a scoreline of 3-1 in front of Japan home crowd."

"We know we have a team which can attack and defend aptly depending on the match situations. We have the players who can help us in both the aspects, and as the Goalkeeper, what I try to do is help in organizing the defense, and also warn them when the opposition is getting into threatening positions. Coordination at the back will be a key area for us going into this important year ahead, and I am sure that we will come out in flying colors."

NOTE: The Indian team is scheduled to leave for Tokyo this Sunday, and will play their first match against hosts Japan on 17th August 2019. Historically, Japan have had the upper hand in proceedings as they have won 34 out of the 65 matches played between the two teams, with India winning 15. However, in the last 10 meetings between the two teams, India have won three, while Japan have won four with three matches ending in draws.

Stick2Hockey.com

Need to focus on defence to beat Australia in Olympic Test event: Savita

The Indian women’s team, currently ranked 10th in the FIH Rankings, will face world no.2 and three-time Olympic champion Australia, China (11th) and host Japan (14th) in Tokyo.


The Indian women’s hockey team vice-captain Savita on Wednesday said they will have to defend as a unit if they wish to beat big teams like Australia and win the Olympic Test event, to be held in Tokyo from August 17 to 21.   -  K. Murali Kumar

The Indian women’s hockey team vice-captain Savita on Wednesday said they will have to defend as a unit if they wish to beat big teams like Australia and win the Olympic Test event, to be held in Tokyo from August 17 to 21.

The Indian women’s team, currently ranked 10th in the FIH Rankings, will face world no.2 and three-time Olympic champion Australia, China (11th) and host Japan (14th) in the event.

“We will be playing a very strong team in Australia against whom we played well in last year’s Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. It was a tough defeat to take as we lost by a solitary goal, and it was also the semifinal of the tournament. However, we were proud of our performance,” said Savita, who is also the first choice goalkeeper of the Indian team.

“To match Australia in all departments was great, but this time, we need to make sure that we defend well as a unit, and not give them any easy chances. I feel defence will be key in determining who wins the upcoming tournament in Tokyo,” she added.

Savita said the team is now focused on a more balanced approach. “We know we have a team which can attack and defend aptly depending on the match situations. We have players who can help us in both aspects.

“As a goalkeeper, what I try to do is help in organising the defence. Coordination at the back will be key for us going into this important year ahead.”

Great camaraderie

Savita said there is great understanding and trust among the players as they have been playing together for a while now.

“We have a very talented bunch of players in our team. These players have been playing together for a long time. We understand each other on and off the field and it is something that helps us immensely to perform collectively.

“We also understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We help each other in crunch situations,” added the 29-year-old, who has 193 international caps under her belt.

She said the Indian women’s team is confident of sealing its place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after its success in the FIH Women’s Series Finals in Hiroshima.

“In the past couple of years we have had the chance to play in huge matches, but there have been times when we have lacked a bit. But I think the team has improved tremendously and we can now match the likes of the world no. 2 Australia,” she said.

“But we need to focus on winning the big matches and we showed that we are capable of doing it when we won the final of the FIH Women’s Series Finals against Japan in front of their home crowd.”

Sportstar

Top teams line up for renewed Bangalore Cup

s2h Team



Bengaluru: Bengaluru's Annual hockey extravaganza, the Dolo-650 Bangalore Cup invitation All India Hockey Tournament (Men) will begin on 10 August 2019. The 4th edition of this tournament will see top eight teams in the domestic circuit vie for the prestigious title. The title winner will walk away with Rs 4.00 Lacs while the runners-up purse is Rs.2.00 lacs.

The round-robin stage in the tournament will witness Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Mumbai (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Mumbai (BPCL), Indian Navy, New Delhi, All India Customs, Mumbai battle it out in Pool A while Pool B consists of Army XI, Air India, Mumbai, Indian Air Force, New Delhi and hosts Hockey Karnataka. Top two teams from Pool A and B in the round robin stage will play the Semi Finals on 17 August 2019 while the title round will be played on 18 August 2019.

“We are delighted to announce the return of the Bangalore Cup All India Hockey Tournament (Men). Our efforts at Hockey Karnataka are towards reviving hockey in the state and we are taking several measures to bring back the glorious days. I am sure with top India players turning up for the 4th edition of this tournament, we will have good spectator turn-out and attract young aspiring players to come and watch their favourite stars,” expressed Dr SVS Subramanya Gupta, President, Hockey Karnataka.

Exciting rivalry is expected to be played-out during the eight-day action packed tournament as India’s hockey stars turn up for their respective teams. While home-grown Olympians VR Raghunath and SK Uthappa will represent IOCL which includes talented forwards Talwinder Singh and Affan Yousuf, the Air India team will have former India goalkeeping sensation Adrian D’Souza and VS Vinay play key roles. BPCL team includes veteran Tushar Kandekar, Olympian Devindar Walmiki and Junior World Cup winning Captain Harjeet Singh among others while Charismatic striker Nikkin Thimmaiah will play for hosts Hockey Karnataka. Army XI goalkeeper Akash Chikte, who was last seen in action for India at the World League Final in Bhubaneswar 2017, too will be seen in action as he hopes to find his winning ways after being out of action for over a year.

“This tournament provides a great opportunity for young India players who are vying to be selected for the National Coaching Camp again. Playing against top domestic teams will help them see where they stand and most importantly give them regular match-experience which is very important to stay relevant in the national scene,” stated Olympian VR Raghunath, also the Vice President of Hockey Karnataka.

In the previous edition held in 2017, ONGC won the tournament with South Central Railway ending their campaign as runners-up.

Stick2Hockey.com

Hockey India donates Rs 31 lakh for Cyclone Fani help

The money donated by Hockey India has been collected from the proceeds of the sale of match tickets of FIH Men’s Hockey Series Finals held in Odisha from June 6 to 15.



Hockey India on Wednesday donated Rs 31 lakh to Odisha Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to help the state recover from the devastation caused by ‘Cyclone Fani’ earlier this year.

Hockey India president Md Mushtaque Ahmad and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief Narinder Batra on Wednesday jointly presented the cheque to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here.

The money donated has been collected from the proceeds of the sale of match tickets of FIH Men’s Hockey Series Finals held here from June 6 to 15.

Hockey India had earlier promised to donate the entire profit from sale of tickets to Chief Minister’s Relief Fund after Odisha was battered by the cyclone just a month before the FIH Series Finals.

“Cyclone Fani had caused extensive damage and loss to Odisha earlier this year. However, the FIH Men’s Series Finals was successfully conducted in June 2019 in Bhubaneswar with the love and support of the state government and the people of Odisha,” Hockey India said in a statement.

Severe cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ caused havoc in Odisha, affecting approximately 1.5 crore people in 159 blocks of 14 districts, and caused massive damage and destruction across the state.

Sportstar