News for 05 September 2019
All the news for Thursday 5 September 2019
2019 Oceania Cup (Men) - Day 1
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)
Results
5 Sep 2019 AUS v NZL (RR) 4 - 0
6 September is a rest day
FIH Match Centre
2019 Oceania Cup (Women) - Day 1
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)
5 Sep 2019 AUS v NZL (RR) 1 - 3
6 September is a rest day
FIH Match Centre
Hockeyroos and Kookaburras Ready For Tokyo 2020 Qualifiers
Nic Kerber
The first step towards the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras booking their place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics begins tomorrow (Thursday 5 September 2019) as they open their Oceania Cup campaigns in Rockhampton.
The Oceania Cup will see Australia’s national women’s and men’s hockey teams take on their New Zealand counterparts in a best-of-three match series with the winners to automatically qualify for next year’s Games in Tokyo.
For both the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras, ensuring straight passage through to the Olympics has been the biggest priority on the 2019 calendar year. Now the wait is over and both teams cannot wait to get down to business.
Both teams have been in Rockhampton since Sunday finalising their preparations, and considering the prize on the line, there is an excitement among both groups of what lies ahead over the next four days.
“We’re excited to be in Rocky for the Oceania Cup. It’s a very important tournament,” said Kookaburras Head Coach Colin Batch.
“We spoke about it this morning as a group that we’re ready to go. We’ve got another day to wait but we’re eager to get underway and put in a good performance.”
Hockeyroos Head Coach Paul Gaudoin shares Batch’s sentiments.
“Everyone is excited. We know it’s an important event for us to qualify for Tokyo and we know the Kiwis are a very strong team so it’s going to be a really tough competition,” said Gaudoin.
“But we’re well prepared and looking forward to it.”
Batch coached the Black Sticks (New Zealand) prior to the last Olympics and knows all too well the threat a number of their players can pose.
“They (New Zealand) have obviously had some changes since I was there,” said Batch.
“You’ve got respect what they’ve been able to achieve. The last time we played them we won narrowly 4-3 so they’re a very good side. They have got some really good players on all lines and we respect them enormously.”
“But we have been thorough with our preparation so hopefully that will show through and we can get the job done.”
With the Kookaburras and Hockeyroos currently holding down the number one and two spots on the world rankings, Batch and Gaudoin know it comes with an added level of pressure and expectation, particularly playing on home soil.
But it is pressure they both say their players are embracing, while at the same time knowing that a high ranking does not guarantee a positive result.
“I think there is that (pressure). The higher you go up the ranks the more you are expected to win, but we certainly know, by looking at the recent Tokyo Test Event and European championships, that the teams are very close together,” said Gaudoin.
“It’s very close between the top 10 or 12 teams in the world so we’re acutely aware of that and we respect the New Zealand group very highly.
“There are nerves that we need to qualify. We’re aware of that and you don’t take going to the Olympics lightly. It’s an achievement to get to the Olympics and this is our first step.
“We know we can’t get ahead of ourselves and need to apply ourselves to the job at hand which will be focusing on getting a win tomorrow night.”
All of the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras’ Oceania Cup matches against New Zealand will be LIVE streamed on the Oceania Hockey Federation Facebook page or by going to https://livestream.com/accounts/9457344/events/8747921
There will also be LIVE coverage on the official @Hockeyroos and @Kookaburras Twitter channels.
The 2019 Oceania Cup is owned and delivered by the Oceania Hockey Federation in conjunction with the Rockhampton Hockey Association. For more information on the Oceania Cup visit http://hockey.org.au/OC19
Oceania Cup 2019 schedule (doubles as qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics)
5-8 September 2019
Kalka Shades Hockey Fields, Rockhampton, Queensland
Thursday 5 September 2019
Kookaburras v New Zealand (4:00pm AEST)
Hockeyroos v New Zealand (6:00pm AEST)
Saturday 7 September 2019
Hockeyroos v New Zealand (4:00pm AEST)
Kookaburras v New Zealand (6:00pm AEST)
Sunday 8 September 2019
Hockeyroos v New Zealand (4:00pm AEST)
Kookaburras v New Zealand (6:15pm AEST)
Hockey Australia media release
2019 Oceania Intercontinental Hockey 5s - Day 2
Men's and Women's results from the tournament
2019 Oceania Intercontinental Hockey 5s (Men)
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)
Results
5 Sep 2019 09:00 TGA v SOL 1 - 16
2019 Oceania Intercontinental Hockey 5s (Women)
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)
5 Sep 2019 TGA v SOL 3 - 7
FIH Match Centre
AHF Men's Central Asia Cup 2019 - Day 3
Taldykorgan (KAZ)
Results
4 Sep 2019 UZB v TJK (RR) 3 - 0
Pool standings
| Rank | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kazakhstan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Oman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Tajikistan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | -12 | 0 |
Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey: Final stage of group games hit by red card, power failure
Indian Army’s Rahul Rajbhar was sent off for allegedly hitting one IAF player while power failure delayed the match between IOC and Bengaluru Hockey Association on Wednesday.
Samarnath Soory
Pawan Rajbhar (centre) of Indian Navy in action during Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey tournament against Railways. - K. Pichumani
A red card followed by a floodlight failure and an unnoticed field violation underlined a start-stop Wednesday in the Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium, Chennai.
In the first match, goals from Ajinkya Jadhav (32’), Pawan Rajbhar (37’) put Indian Navy 2-0 ahead against Indian Railways. Jugraj Singh added a third in the 59th minute from a penalty corner to seal a semis spot for Navy. Railways, the reigning Senior Nationals champion, will now hope for a drawn match between Central Secretariat and Punjab and Sind Bank to go into the semifinals.
First red card, then power failure
IAF led the first quarter against Indian Army through Jagat Nachana’s (8’) goal before tensions boiled over in the second quarter. IAF’s Chandan Aind was stretchered off the pitch with a cut on the nose after being allegedly hit by the stick by Army’s Rahul Rajbhar. Rajbhar was shown a red card, the first of the tournament, as umpires Amit Saini and Raj Kumar Jha had a word with both the captains to simmer down the situation. IAF played with 12 players for few minutes in the second quarter, but the violation went unnoticed.
Bad light delayed the restart by 30 minutes, but it was Army which came out as the stronger team on resumption. Prathap Shinde grabbed the equaliser in the 45th minute with a dragflick while Vishwa Thakur added the second in the 49th minute to seal the first win of the tournament for Army.
There was further delay to the third match, as Bengaluru Hockey Association (BHA) players refused to take to the pitch against Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) due to insufficient lighting. Agitated members of the audience demanded the match to begin as the delay was an hour past the scheduled time (6pm). The organisers sighted a generator failure and the match began at 7.15 pm after backup generator arrived.
The start of the third match in the evening was delayed due to insufficient lighting. - Samarnath Soory
IOC eased to a 4-1 victory as goals from Affan Yousuf (15’), Armaan Qureshi (45’), S. K. Uthappa (59’) and Rahil Mosin (60’) confirmed its progression to the semis. Nithin Thimmaiah (52’) scored the lone goal for BHA as it will hope for IOC to beat Punjab National Bank to stay in the contention for the semis.
Results:
Pool A – Indian Army 2 (Prathap Shinde 45’, Vishwa Thakur 49’) beat Indian Air Force 1 (Jagat Nachana 8’)
IOC 4 (Affan Yousuf 15’, Armaan Qureshi 45’, S. K. Uthappa 59’ and Rahil Mosin 60’) beat Bengaluru Hockey Assocation 1 (Nithin Thimmaiah 52’)
Pool B – Indian Navy 3 (Ajinkya Jadhav 32’, Pawan Rajbhar 37’, Jugraj Singh 59’) beat Indian Railways 0.
Sportstar
Navy drubs Railways, enters semifinals
Army scripts first win of the tournament; IOC also makes last four
K. Keerthivasan
On a run: Indian Navy’s Jugraj Singh, right, in action against Indian Railways on Wednesday.
Indian Railways has been a team that plays with an attacking mindset and with a swagger normally associated with a champion team. But seldom in the recent past of the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament has its record been as patchy as this year.
The 3-0 defeat to Indian Navy in their final Group-B tie here on Wednesday meant that the reigning National champion has just five points from four matches. Later in a Group-A match, Indian Army beat Indian Air Force 2-1, for its first win. Both Army and Air Force are out of the reckoning.
Hope against hope
For Railways to reach the semifinals, Punjab and Sind Bank (four points) should draw with Central Secretariat (three points) in their last group contest on Thursday, and it should hope against hope that it goes through to the knockout stage on the basis of goal difference.
This was Railways’ first tournament of the season. With the majority of the players being new-comers, none could rise to the occasion.
On the other hand, Navy has been the best team in its group. A young and fit team, it has won the admiration of one and all, with a fine team effort sans any star player. With 10 points from four, it has entered the semifinals in style.
The Air Force and Army match had the dubious distinction of having the first red card of the tournament, after Rahul Rajbhar of Air Force allegedly hit Army’s Chandan Aind with his stick on the nasal part injuring the latter with a few seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Glitches galore
It is reliably learnt that for a minimum of three minutes towards the end of second quarter, 12 players instead of the mandatory 11 were on the field that escaped the eyes of the on-field umpires and technical bench.
Action didn’t resume after the second half as both the teams complained of poor light. There was reportedly a problem with the organisers’ generator that took around 40 minutes to set things right. The third quarter which was supposed to start at 5.15 p.m. started at 5.50 p.m.
The third and final match between IOC and Bengaluru HA also witnessed a delay of more than 30 minutes due to generator problem. But that didn’t stop the defending champion IOC from entering the semifinals with a 4-1 victory. IOC has nine points from three matches with one match in hand against Punjab National Bank.
The results: Group-A: Indian Army 2 (Prathap Shindhe 45, Vishwa Thakur 49) bt Indian Air Force 1 (Jagat Nachana 8); IOC 4 (Affan Yousuf 15 , Armaan Qureshi 45, S.K. Uthappa 59, Rahil Mosin 60) bt Bengaluru HA 1 (Nithin Thimmaiah 52).
B: Indian Navy 3 (Ajinkya Yadav 32, Pawan Rajbhar 37, Jugraj Singh 59) bt Indian Railways 0.
The Hindu
FIH Pro League 2020 Schedule Announced
Nic Kerber
Blockbuster home double headers over the Australia Day weekend against fellow heavyweights Belgium are among the highlights of the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras 2020 Pro League schedule, following the release of the fixtures by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
The number one ranked Kookaburras are the reigning FIH Pro League champions having defeated Belgium in this year’s finale, bumping the Belgians out of the top spot on the world rankings in the process.
The match up between the second ranked Hockeyroos and Belgium’s women’s team is also a mouth watering one with the Belgians having risen four places to ninth in the latest rankings.
The Hockeyroos and Kookaburras will both play 16 matches in total in the second edition of the global competition, including eight double headers in Australia against Belgium, Great Britain, Argentina and New Zealand.
“The announcement of the FIH Pro League schedule for 2020 provides an exciting foretaste of what lies ahead for the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras to start next year, particularly the home matches in Australia,” said Hockey Australia CEO, Matt Favier.
“The Pro League includes a number of the best men’s and women’s hockey teams in the world, and with eight double header matches in Australia, it gives hockey and sports fans alike a fantastic opportunity to experience our game at the highest level.”
“As the current title holders in the men’s competition and runners-up in the women’s, both the Kookaburras and the Hockeyroos will be determined to have another successful Pro League in 2020, even more so as it will be a vital lead up to next year’s Tokyo Olympics.”
Locations and start times for the matches in Australia are to be confirmed.
FIH Pro League 2020 – Australia home and away matches
Hockeyroos
Saturday 25 January 2020 v Belgium (h)
Sunday 26 January 2020 v Belgium (h)
Saturday 1 February 2020 v Great Britain (h)
Sunday 2 February 2020 v Great Britain (h)
Friday 6 March 2020 v Argentina (h)
Saturday 7 March 2020 v Argentina (h)
Saturday 14 March 2020 v China (a)
Sunday 15 March 2020 v China (a)
Saturday 21 March 2020 v Germany (a)
Sunday 22 March 2020 v Germany (a)
Thursday 26 March 2020 v Netherlands (a)
Sunday 29 March 2020 v Netherlands (a)
Friday 1 May 2020 v USA (a)
Sunday 3 May 2020 v USA (a)
Saturday 16 May 2020 v New Zealand (h)
Sunday 17 May 2020 v New Zealand (h)
Kookaburras
Saturday 25 January 2020 v Belgium (h)
Sunday 26 January 2020 v Belgium (h)
Saturday 1 February 2020 v Great Britain (h)
Sunday 2 February 2020 v Great Britain (h)
Saturday 22 February 2020 v India (a)
Sunday 23 February 2020 v India (a)
Friday 6 March 2020 v Argentina (h)
Saturday 7 March 2020 v Argentina (h)
Saturday 14 March 2020 v Spain (a)
Sunday 15 March 2020 v Spain (a)
Saturday 21 March 2020 v Germany (a)
Sunday 22 March 2020 v Germany (a)
Friday 27 March 2020 v Netherlands (a)
Sunday 29 March 2020 v Netherlands (a)
Saturday 16 May 2020 v New Zealand (h)
Sunday 17 May 2020 v New Zealand (h)
(h) home match
(a) away match
Hockey Australia media release
2020 FIH Pro League Schedule Announced
GB Women Run Out At Stoop
Having taken the world of hockey by storm in its inaugural season, the FIH Pro League bigger and better than ever.
A new league format for 2020 and 2021 will see teams play each other twice at home and twice away alternately across the two years, whereas last season each nation played one home and one away match against each opponent. For example, Great Britain's men and women will both play Argentina twice at home on 16 and 17 May next year before travelling to South America to fulfil the remaining fixtures in 2021.
With this being the final major event before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics get underway, you won’t want to miss out on your chance to be part of #ThePride as rivalries are renewed between the world’s best nations. Sign up here for the latest news on how to secure your tickets.
Full schedule
Here are the dates of when Great Britain’s men and women will be playing in the 2020 FIH Pro League (exact timings are still TBC) – home fixtures are highlighted in bold. All games will be shown live on BT Sport.
Sat 1 Feb/Sun 2 Feb – Australia v Great Britain (M + W)
Sat 8 Feb/Sun 9 Feb – New Zealand v Great Britain (M + W)
Tue 28 Apr/Wed 29 Apr – Netherlands v Great Britain (M + W)
Sat 2 May/Sun 3 May – Great Britain v India (M)/Great Britain v China (W)
Sat 16 May/Sun 17 May – Great Britain v Argentina (M + W)
Sun 24 May/Mon 25 May – Great Britain v Spain (M)/Great Britain v USA (W)
Fri 29 May/Sun 31 May – Belgium v Great Britain (M + W)
Sat 13 Jun/Sun 14 Jun – Great Britain v Germany (M + W)
New season, new structure
Earlier this year the FIH outlined a refined structure for the 2020 and 2021 FIH Pro League campaigns following recommendations from competing nations to halve the amount of travel time.
The league will now see teams play each other home and away in alternate years. For example, in 2020 Great Britain will play a total of four matches against Argentina (two women's games and two men's) before travelling to South America for four away games in 2021. The new format is not dissimilar to the Six Nations in rugby union, but nations play each other twice each year instead of once.
Furthermore there will also no longer be a Grand Final, with both the men’s and women’s overall winners being determined by who finishes at the top of the table come the end of that season’s matches.
India’s men join the party
The men’s league is set to hot up even more next year as India’s men join the party.
Their addition to the tournament means that each of the world’s nine top ranked men’s teams – India are fifth, one place higher than Great Britain – will be taking part in the FIH Pro League in 2020.
And with the competition being so closely fought last time round, their inclusion will add even more excitement next year as they bring an attacking style of play and some incredibly passionate fans to the party.
Great Britain’s men will open their home campaign against India between 2-3 May in what is set to be a fantastic contest.
The world’s best are coming back to London
World class hockey will be returning to London once again this year as we host another 16 FIH Pro League games.
We were inspired by the thousands of members of #ThePride who turned out last year and gave our teams such fantastic support, including the biggest crowd this country has seen since the London 2012 Olympics when nearly 12,000 people descended on Harlequins’ Twickenham Stoop.
England Hockey is currently in discussions with Harlequins about one of the home FIH Pro League fixtures taking place at The Stoop, with other home fixtures being played at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.
Our final double header against Germany on 13-14 June will also give #ThePride the chance to give the men’s and women’s teams the perfect send off to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, depending on whether they win their Olympic Qualifiers in November.
England Hockey Board Media release
FIH Pro League: India to open campaign against Netherlands on January 18
The Indian team will then leave for the away games in Germany (April 25 and 26) and Great Britain (May 2 and 3). - Getty Images
The Indian men’s hockey team will open its campaign in the FIH Pro League against the Netherlands at home in January next year.
According to the schedule of the FIH Pro League season 2 released on Wednesday, India, who pulled out of the inaugural edition of the tournament, will play the Dutch side on January 18 and 19 next year. India will then host world champion Belgium on February 8 and 9 followed by two more home fixtures against Australia on February 22 and 23.
The Indian team will then leave for the away games in Germany (April 25 and 26) and Great Britain (May 2 and 3).
India will return to play on home soil on May 23 and 24 against New Zealand before travelling to Argentina to play on June 5 and 6.
India will play the last leg of the Pro League round-robin matches in Spain on June 13 and 14.
India will play a total of eight home games with six matches in January and February and two games in May.
Indian men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh expressed his team’s excitement following the announcement of the schedule.
“We are really excited to begin our first FIH Pro League campaign on home soil in January. The league provides a great opportunity to play against top teams in the world and we expect all the matches to be challenging,” he said.
“I am sure playing continuous top-level matches will be beneficial in the all-important Olympic year and this could also mean good match exposure for all players in the core group,” added Manpreet.
“With India playing the home leg against top teams like the Netherlands, Belgium and Australia, I am sure hockey fans in India will get to watch the very best of hockey. India has always enjoyed playing these teams on home soil.”
India’s chief coach Graham Reid emphasised on the importance of regular exposures against top teams ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. “We are very excited about the prospects of playing in the Pro League next year. Having experienced it first-hand, I know how important it is to have regular competition.
“To play against the best teams in the world and test the depth of this talented young squad will be ideal preparation for the Tokyo Olympics should we qualify in November,” he said.
FIH Men's Pro League 2020 Schedule (In order of host vs visitor)
January 18 and 19, 2020 - India vs Netherlands
February 8 and 9 – India vs Belgium
February 22 and 23 – India vs Australia
April 25 and 26 – Germany vs India
May 2 and 3 – Great Britain vs India
May 23 and 24 – India vs New Zealand
June 5 and 6 – Argentina vs India
June 13 and 14 – Spain vs India
Sportstar
Helter-skelter Irish Senior Cups kick into gear in busy October
Cork Harlequins celebrate their 2019 Irish Senior Cup win. Pic: Adrian Boehm
Hockey Ireland has laid out the draw for the opening rounds of this season’s Irish Senior Cup with the women’s competition primarily taking place in the next eight weeks.
With the women’s EY Hockey League will not get underway until mid-November, Ireland’s top sides will hope to focus on the cup throughout October.
This is due to the Olympic qualifiers which are scheduled for either late October or early November – Ireland will find out their opponent on Monday, September 9. It means that senior squad members will not, under normal circumstances, be available to play in these games.
Cork Harlequins begin their title defence on September 28 in one of three first round matches on the agenda, taking on top tier rivals Pembroke.
EYHL newcomers Catholic Institute host UCD in Limerick while Glenanne are up against Old Alex.
Round 2 takes place a week later. The winner of Quins and Pembroke will be on the road to Ulster Elks; Glens or Alex will host Railway Union while Muckross await the visit of Insta or UCD.
Elsewhere, 10 other sides will make their cup debuts in that round: Loreto face Belfast Harlequins; Trinity host Banbridge; Ballymoney take on Pegasus; Corinthian meet Monkstown in a Dublin derby while UCC make the short hop to Cork C of I for their second round meeting.
The quarter-finals will be on October 12 with the semi-finals a week later on October 19 with the final scheduled for March 29.
In the men’s competition, the pick of the ties confirmed is undoutedly the pairing of Banbridge against Lisnagarvey on October 26 in round two.
Five first round matches have been confirmed for October 5 with UCD against Annadale the feature tie between two EYHL sides – they play for the right to face Clontarf. Instonians host Monkstown with the winner going on to play Bray.
The winners from Bandon and Railway will be on the road to Cookstown; Cork Harlequins are back in the competition and ready to host Corinthian in round one with the victors going to Glenanne next.
Dublin University and Mossley fight for the right to come up against Cork C of I in round two.
The other second round games feature Pembroke against Avoca and a much-changed Three Rock Rovers – going in search of three in-a-row – hosting YMCA.
Irish Senior Cup draws
Men
Round 1: 5th October ’19
1 Instonians v Monkstown
2 UCD v Annadale
3 Bandon v Railway Union
4 Cork Harlequins v Corinthian
5 Dublin University v Mossley
Round 2: 26th October ’19
1 Pembroke Wanderers v Avoca
2 Cookstown v Bandon/Railway Union
3 Clontarf v UCD/Annadale
4 Glennane v Cork Harlequins/Corinthian
5 Banbridge v Lisnagarvey
6 Bray v Instonians/Monkstown
7 Three Rock Rovers v YMCA
8 Cork C of I v Dublin University/Mossley
Women
Round 1: 28th September ’19
1 Glennane v Old Alex
2 Catholic Institute v UCD
3 Pembroke Wanderers v Cork Harlequins
Round 2: 5th October ’19
4 Loreto v Belfast Harlequins
5 Ulster Elks v Pembroke Wanderers/Cork Harlequins
6 Muckross v Catholic Institute/UCD
7 Cork C of I v UCC
8 Trinity v Banbridge
9 Glennane/Old Alex v Railway Union
10 Ballymoney v Pegasus
11 Corinthian v Monkstown
Round 3: QF 12th October ’19
12 Winner of Match 5 v Winner of Match 6
13 Winner of Match 10 v Winner of Match 7
14 Winner of Match 11 v Winner of Match 8
15 Winner of Match 4 v Winner of Match 9
Round 4: SF 19th October ’19
16 Winner of Match 14 v Winner of Match 13
17 Winner of Match 12 v Winner of Match 15
Round 5: Final 29th March ’20
18 Winner of Match 16 v Winner of Match 17
The Hook
The start we expected from Cal field hockey
By Jack Whaley
KLC Fotos/Courtesy
Sports are unpredictable. Expecting the unexpected seems to be the safest thing to do as a fan when putting your faith into a team, especially if that team is Cal. However, sometimes the chips all fall where they should and the predicted results are exactly what you get, which was the case for Cal field hockey.
The Bears went 1-1 over Labor Day weekend, defeating Quinnipiac on Friday and then falling to No. 15 Northwestern just three days later. The start mirrors that of last year for the Cal squad, as the Bears kicked off their 2018 season 1-1 as well, also falling to a ranked opponent in their second match.
Cal started its 2019 season at home against Quinnipiac, a game that Cal would go on to win 5-1 in a dominant performance. The Bears offense seemed unstoppable, recording 29 shots against the Bobcats. Getting more shots on goal was a focus for the Bears this year.
“It’s been a huge emphasis in our preseason to get the numbers up so our percentages go up and generate more shots. That’s not something you just talk about. You have some systems to help you finish that,” said head coach Shellie Onstead. “They just really embraced it, and then once they got some momentum going, it was really fun to watch. They got a lot from the crowd here tonight. This was probably our best opener in many years.”
Cal forward Megan Rodgers had nine shots, six of which were on target, but she was unable to capitalize on any of those opportunities against Quinnipiac. Rodgers led the Bears in scoring last season, so a goalless night from her in a game where the Bears put five shots in the back of the net is surprising.
“She (Rodgers) is so mad — you can expect an explosion,” said Onstead. “She’ll hold herself to a higher standard in future games … there will be some more goals incoming.”
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for Rodgers and the Bears offense, as the team went scoreless on Monday against Northwestern. The Wildcats won the game 3-0, recording 18 shots against Cal’s defense in the neutral-site game at Stanford.
After recording a booming 29 shots against Quinnipiac, Cal’s offense struggled deeply against Northwestern, recording only five shots. The surprises didn’t stop there; Rodgers didn’t take a single one of those five shots for Cal, an out-of-character from the junior scoring machine.
Cal junior Maddie Cleat has stepped up as the Bears leading scorer through the first two matches this season after recording two goals against Quinnipiac. Senior Lindsay Mathison, freshman Megan Connors, and sophomore Makaela Hoang also recorded one goal each for the Bears over the weekend.
The blue and gold will have a lot to think about as they learned both how well and how poorly they can perform in just a matter of three days. Cal will have the opportunity to bounce back this Sunday against Michigan.
Daily Californian
No. 11 field hockey off to hot start with two wins over Old Dominion and Penn State
Cavaliers round off a difficult opening weekend schedule with wins against two ranked teams
By Muhammad Amjad
Senior back Anzel Viljoen helped the Virginia defense hold Old Dominion to zero goals and scored her first goal of the season against Penn State. Courtesy Virginia Athletics
The No. 11 Virginia field hockey team took care of both Old Dominion and Penn State this weekend to remain undefeated in 2019. The Cavaliers (2-0, 0-0 ACC) first cruised pass the Monarchs (0-1, 0-0 Big East) Friday before edging the Nittany Lions (0-2, 0-0 Big Ten) Sunday.
Against Old Dominion, junior striker Makayla Gallen led the No. 11 Virginia field hockey team to a dominant victory, scoring two timely goals as the defense held the Monarchs scoreless in Norfolk.
Senior midfielder Erin Shanahan chipped in a third goal for Virginia as the Cavaliers’ well-rounded attack featured assists by junior midfielder Rachel Robinson and sophomore midfielder Annie McDonough.
Virginia played aggressively on offense, outshooting the Monarchs five to two. The Cavaliers’ offensive scheme was well-executed, as all five shots were on goal, whereas Old Dominion had just one shot on goal over the course of the entire game.
Though Virginia benefited from excellent passing throughout the game to penetrate Old Dominion’s defense, the Monarchs never cracked the Cavaliers’ backline.
Sophomore goalie Lauren Hausheer saved the lone shot she faced, her job made easier by the role the entire Virginia defense played in keeping Old Dominion off the scoresheet for all 60 minutes.
For Virginia, this game was certainly a crucial launching point for what the Cavaliers hope will be a comeback season. The last time these two teams met in 2018, then-No. 21 Old Dominion upset then-No. 8 Virginia in overtime in Charlottesville.
In the second game of the weekend, Virginia defeated Penn State with plenty of dramatic flare in the waning minutes. The Cavaliers dominated the first half until the Nittany Lions gave Virginia all it could handle late in the second half.
“It’s always good to beat Penn State, they’re always in the top 10 in the country and they bring their A-game so you have to be able to meet their aggressiveness and their physicality to be able to maintain ball possession — and we were able to do that today.” said Coach Michele Madison.
Virginia dictated the game’s tempo from the jump, dominating possession of the ball and attacking Penn State’s backline with quick drives. Virginia outshot Penn State eight to four in the first thirty minutes but was not able to capitalize on scoring chances in the first quarter.
Penalty corners provided the greatest offensive leverage for both teams in this matchup. At the 13:21 mark early in the second quarter, a Penn State foul gifted Virginia a corner. Senior back Anzel Viljoen rebounded the initial missed shot from the left side of the goal and slashed the second chance strike past the Penn State backline for her first goal of the season — putting Virginia up 1-0.
In the third quarter, however, Penn State amped up the attack against a Virginia team that was showing signs of complacency. Virginia only took one shot the entire quarter while Penn State shot six times — a result of Virginia committing two penalties in a span of sixty seconds. Penn State’s ability to keep the ball in Virginia’s half of the field clearly kept the Cavaliers from making any runs to the goal of their own.
In what was seeming to be a quiet finish to a well-defended game, neither side refused to take their feet off the gas pedal in the fourth quarter. Virginia played uncharacteristically uneven defense in the last five minutes, allowing Penn State to capitalize off of a penalty corner to tie the game and momentarily stun the Cavaliers with 3:58 left in the game.
Virginia was quick to respond.
A penalty corner negated a Virginia goal with under three minutes left. However, Robinson quickly put the Cavaliers back on top with a strike on goal that deflected off of a Penn State back and into the net. Robinson’s game-winning goal was her inaugural goal of the season and caps Virginia’s hot start heading into the week.
“We just had to establish our rhythm again, get our passing game back, don’t go too big, just build [the momentum] up,” Madison said. “It was just ‘pass pass pass.’”
Off the heels of a lopsided win against Old Dominion and a nail biter against Penn State, the Cavaliers are in a prime position to shoot up the rankings ahead of their next matchup.
Up next, Virginia will host UMass Lowell Sep. 6 at Turf Field at home. The game is slated to start at 3 p.m.
The Cavalier Daily