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All the news for Friday 6 September 2019

2019 Oceania Cup (Men) - Day 2
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)

Results

5 Sep 2019     AUS v NZL (RR)     4 - 0

6 September is a rest day

Fixture (GMT +10)

7 Sep 2019 18:00     AUS v NZL (RR)

LIVE streamed on the Oceania Hockey Federation Facebook page or by clicking here.

FIH Match Centre

2019 Oceania Cup (Women) - Day 2
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)

Result

5 Sep 2019     AUS v NZL (RR)     1 - 3

6 September is a rest day

Fixture (GMT +10)

7 Sep 2019 16:00     AUS v NZL (RR)

LIVE streamed on the Oceania Hockey Federation Facebook page or by clicking here.

FIH Match Centre

Kookaburras draw first blood against Black Sticks

Nic Kerber



The Kookaburras have sent an early statement in their quest to qualify for Tokyo 2020 with a clinical 4-0 win against New Zealand in their opening match of the Oceania Cup at the new hockey facility in Rockhampton.

Tom Craig, Tim Brand, Blake Govers and Flynn Ogilvie were all on target as the Kookaburras flexed their muscle to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series with a spot at next year’s Olympics on the line.

In the Kookaburras’ most important series of the year, the home side were on from the opening whistle.

Young livewire Jacob Anderson won an early penalty corner, the only one of the first half, which co-captain Aran Zalewski sent just wide of the target with his drag flick.

But the Kookaburras did not have to wait long to go in front as Craig blasted a reverse stick past Richard Joyce in the Black Sticks goal.

The Kookaburras’ lead was doubled seven minutes later when Brand stuck out a stick to get a cheeky deflection from a lovely back stick shot from Zalewski.

The high tempo, high press play from the Kookaburras continued in the second quarter, regularly pegging the Black Sticks back inside their own half.

New Zealand created a half chance but Andrew Charter in the Kookaburras goal was largely untroubled going into half time.

Looking to ram home their advantage, Govers produced a clinical finish from the penalty corner to make it three.

The striker tried to repeat the dose minutes later but this time Joyce managed to pad it away.

Kookaburras midfielder Daniel Beale forced the Black Sticks keeper into a fine save up high before a final goal sealed the comprehensive result.

Tom Wickham did well to hold the ball up on the edge of the circle, feeding Corey Weyer whose semi blocked shot rose high and Ogilvie was on hand to tap it home from within a metre.

The Kookaburras were forced to defend a couple of late New Zealand penalty corners to ensure the shut out on what was another successful night for Australia’s men’s hockey team.

“It’s a good start to the series. To score two goals in the first quarter was a dream start for us,” said Head Coach Colin Batch.

“It took us a while to get the third one, New Zealand fought hard and we know there is still a lot of hockey in front of us to secure the series.”

“We talked about possessing the ball, particularly in the heat, and I think it worked out for us this time. It doesn’t always work out but on this occasion it did.”

Despite the one sided result, Batch said there would be no letting up or sign of complacency come the second match on Saturday.

“It’s not an overconfidence but we have a good belief in what we can do out there, so we’re heading into game two with a lot of confidence and hopefully we can have another victory,” said Batch.

“We pride ourselves on a good performance no matter what, we pride ourselves on our performance and Saturday will be the same.”

First job done. The challenge now for the Kookaburras will to bring more of the same as they try to wrap up the series on Saturday and book their spot at Tokyo 2020.

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 clicking here.

There will also be LIVE coverage on the official @Hockeyroos and @Kookaburras Twitter channels.

Match 1

Kookaburras 4 (Craig 5’, Brand 12’, Govers 36’, Ogilvie 40’)
New Zealand 0

Kalka Shades Hockey Fields, Rockhampton

Hockey Australia media release

Kookaburras draw first blood against Black Sticks Men



The Vantage Black Sticks Men have fallen to Australia in the first match of the Oceania Cup in Rockhampton. Australia have stormed away with a 4-0 win to get their Oceania campaign off to a flyer in the first match. The sides will return to the turf on Saturday for game two in the best of three series.

Darren Smith commented ahead of the second test “We are going to need a significant improvement with the ball and looking for more intent and go forward with the possession that we get. We need to make sure we are strong and robust on defence to stop a quality side like Australia from taking their chances. Australia came out in this game strongly and we need to match them in the first quarter of the game on Saturday”

The first match of the Oceania Cup got underway between the Vantage Black Sticks and Australia. The Kookaburras were looking to blow the Kiwis away in the first quarter as they hit the front in the fifth minute when Tom Craig converted a powerful forehand shot after some great sustained pressure from the Kookaburras. Australia had their second goal when the Vantage Black Sticks Men couldn’t clear their defensive circle, Aran Zalewski then put a well-placed reverse shot towards the goal that was deflected in by Tim Brand.

The Kookaburras continued to apply pressure in the second quarter as they looked to increase their two-goal lead. With the quarter winding down the Kiwis found some space in the Australian circle and constructed several chances to get themselves back in the game. At the half time break the Australians were holding a narrow two goal lead.

Australia started the second half in a positive fashion after earning a penalty corner Blake Govers stepped up and converted the low hard drag flick. They continued applying pressure on the New Zealand side who were struggling to get through the Australian press. The Kookaburras looked to seal the match when Flynn Ogilvie was left unmarked in the New Zealand circle and tapped home the loose ball leaving the Kookaburras with a 4-0 lead.

The Vantage Black Sticks Men started the fourth quarter strongly seeking to find their first goal of the match. The New Zealand side pushed hard looking for a consolation goal in the final quarter. Despite several chances the Kookaburras defence was staunch and wouldn’t allow the Black Sticks the chance to get onto the score sheet.

The two sides will return to the turf at 8pm on Saturday evening for game two of the Oceania Cup.

Vantage Black Sticks 0
Kookaburras 4 (Tom Craig 5 min, Tim Brand 12 min, Blake Govers 36 min, Flynn Ogilvie 40 min)

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Missed opportunities cost Hockeyroos against New Zealand

Nic Kerber


(Image courtesy of Getty Images)

The Hockeyroos have the job in front of them after suffering a 3-1 loss to New Zealand in match one of the Oceania Cup.

Despite the Hockeyroos having more than their share of control during the tense contest, the Black Sticks Women made the most of their opportunities to leave Australia’s women’s team needing to win the next two matches to automatically qualify for Tokyo 2020.

The Hockeyroos were not without their chances and could have gone ahead when they were awarded a penalty stroke in the 17th minute. However, experienced campaigner Jodie Kenny had her attempt well saved by Queensland born New Zealand keeper Grace O’Hanlon.

The miss would prove to be costly as some sustained New Zealand pressure took its toll and they broke the deadlock in the 20th minute when Megan Hull managed to beat Hockeyroos goalkeeper Rachael Lynch with her low drive from a penalty corner.

The Black Sticks Women somehow managed to keep the ball out from a goal line scramble, their ability to hold out frustrating the Hockeyroos and tellingly invigorating the away side.

Then as the Hockeyroos started to force the issue in the third quarter, they were hit by a double sucker punch as New Zealand struck twice in the blink of an eye.

Amy Robinson had the final touch on a well worked penalty corner before Black Sticks Women captain Stacey Michelsen went on a blistering run from the midfield and unleash a venomous back stick shot to stun the home crowd.

Needing quick goals, the Hockeyroos had three successive penalty corners and it was third time lucky as co-captain Georgina Morgan fired in a shot and 17 year old Amy Lawton got the deftest of touches to make it 3-1 with six minutes remaining.

But that was as close as the Hockeyroos would come as they now look towards a cut throat match on Saturday that they must win to send the series to a decider.

Head Coach Paul Gaudoin did not hide his disappointment but was quick to reiterate to his charges that they have a chance to redeem themselves and put themselves right back in the hunt.

“We didn’t play as well as we would have liked. It probably took us until the second half to get going and free ourselves up to play our game, so we’re going to have to learn from that pretty quickly and turn it around on Saturday,” said Gaudoin.

“If we score that stroke at the start things can change but we know that we didn’t play our best and that’s a good thing going into the next game.

“Our flow and our sharpness wasn’t there. We were a bit static and at this level, we know the Kiwis are a very good team so that makes it difficult.”

“I think at the end we started to put them on the back foot and we created some chances, but again we didn’t take a lot of them tonight and that has to improve.”

“One of the things I said to the girls after the game was that it used to be a one off final so being best-of-three gives us an opportunity to get back into it on Saturday.”

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 clicking here.

There will also be LIVE coverage on the official @Hockeyroos and @Kookaburras Twitter channels.

Match 1

Hockeyroos 1 (Lawton 54’)
New Zealand 3 (Hull 20’, Robinson 42’, Michelsen 43’)

Kalka Shades Hockey Fields, Rockhampton

Hockey Australia media release

Black Sticks Women seal epic win in Rockhampton



The Vantage Black Sticks Women have taken the first match in their series with Australia from Rockhampton. The match was played at an incredibly high pace as both sides looked to build some attacking sequences and put themselves in the box seat for the match.

The first quarter between the Vantage Black Sticks Women and the Hockeyroos got underway with both sides looking to play attacking hockey. The Kiwis constructed several opportunities as they looked to unsettle the Australians early in the match. After the first quarter the two sides were still level despite both sides having some close scoring opportunities.

Australia started the second quarter in a positive fashion when they earned a penalty corner, off the resulting corner the ball struck Brooke Neal’s foot causing a penalty stroke. Grace O’Hanlon picked the stroke masterfully to deny the Australians the chance to go into the lead. The Vantage Black Sticks Women then earned a penalty of their own on the back of some enterprising play. Megan Hull stepped up and swept the subsequent penalty corner into the goal. As the second quarter wore on the New Zealand side continued to press hard as they looked to extend their lead over the highly ranked Australian team.

The second half continued where the first half finished with some highly entertaining end to end hockey. The Vantage Black Sticks went close on several occasions when their press managed to force the Australian defence into turnovers. Late in the third quarter the Black Sticks Women extended their lead after Megan Hull pulled off a deceptive sweep for an Amy Robinson diving deflection. Moments later Stacey Michelsen broke down the field and ripped an incredible tomohawke to put the Vantage Black Sticks up 3-0.

Heading into the final quarter the Vantage Black Sticks were playing with confidence and looking to hold off the fast finishing Australians who were playing fast and aggressively as they searched to get back into the match. The Hockeyroos turned the pressure into an outcome with minutes to go when a Georgina Morgan flick squeezed inside the post. The New Zealand team held on to take the first match in the three-test series.

The teams will next take to the turf on Saturday evening for match two of the Oceania Cup.

Vantage Black Sticks 3 (Megan Hull 20 min, Amy Robinson 42 min, Stacey Michelsen 43 min)
Hockeyroos 1 (Georgina Morgan 54 min)

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Black Sticks women stun Australia, but men get hammered


Dynamic Black Sticks skipper Stacey Michelsen gets the ball past Renee Taylor during their Oceania Cup match. IAN HITCHCOCK/GETTY IMAGES

The Black Sticks women have stunned the No 2 world-ranked side the Hockeyroos with a 3-1 victory, giving them a great chance of securing Olympic qualification.

But the news was all bad for the Black Sticks men, who were hammered 4-0 by the Australia's Kookaburras in their Oceania Cup series match in Rockhampton, Queensland, on Thursday night.

The winners of the women's and men's three-match series will automatically qualify for next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The women replicated their Commonwealth Games success last year over Australia, causing the Hockeyroos continual problems with their fast-moving passing game.

While Australia made some promising plays early, they could not get past Black Sticks goalkeeper Grace O'Hanlon, who made some spectacular saves, until late in the match, while Ella Gunson got in the way of two likely Australian goals.


Brooke Neal passes the ball for the Black Sticks during their win over Australia in the Oceania Cup match in Rockhampton. IAN HITCHCOCK/GETTY IMAGES

It was in the second quarter, where New Zealand drew first blood, with a rocketing strike by Megan Hull easily beating the Hockeyroos defence.

Amy Robinson got a deflection on a penalty corner shot to give the Black Sticks a 2-0 lead in the third quarter and just two minutes later captain Stacey Michelsen struck with a piece of brilliance.

As an Australian attack broke down, the Black Sticks quickly got the ball to their skipper who unleashed a devastating tomahawk reverse shot to stun the Australian defence.

Georgina Morgan got one back for the Aussies in the final quarter, but they were outclassed on the day.

In the men's match, the New Zealanders were able to create a couple of chances but were dominated by the Australians for the majority of the match.

The Black Sticks found themselves down 2-0 at the first break with Tom Craig and Tim Brand bagging goals for the Kookaburras, the No. 1 ranked side in the world, in the opening quarter.


Tom Craig celebrates his goal with his Kookaburras teammates GETTY IMAGES

But the Black Sticks held firm in the second and created an opportunity, with the ball, unfortunately, flying over the top of the goal, to be down by just the two goals at halftime.

Blake Govers extended the Kookaburras lead to 3-0 from a penalty corner and Flynn Ogilvie knocked in the fourth goal for the Australians late in the third quarter.

The Blacks Sticks were able to create more opportunities in the final quarter - winning two penalty corners - but were unable to convert.


Black Sticks veteran Shea McAleese was one of the standouts for the New Zealanders. GETTY IMAGES

Black Sticks captain Blair Tarrant was at a loss to explain why his team could not produce the fourth quarter attacking raids earlier in the match but was optimistic they could "hit the ground running" in the next two matches.

"A few mistakes cost us today," Tarrant said.

What will please Black Sticks coach Darren Smith was that his side improved as the game grew older and despite being outplayed still managed to produce their best quarter in the fourth and final sector.

The teams will square off again on Saturday and Sunday at the same venue.

Women: Black Sticks 3 (Megan Hull, Amy Robinson, Stacey Michelsen) beat Hockeyroos 1 (Georgina Morgan)

Men: Kookaburras 4 (Tom Craig, Tim Brand, Blake Govers and Flynn Ogilvie) beat Black Sticks 0.

Stuff

2019 Oceania Intercontinental Hockey 5s - Day 3

Results from the Men's and Women's competition

2019 Oceania Intercontinental Hockey 5s (Men)
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)

Result

6 Sep 2019     PNG v TGA     18 - 2

2019 Oceania Intercontinental Hockey 5s (Women)
Rockhampton Queensland (AUS)

Result

6 Sep 2019     PNG v TGA     11 - 1

FIH Match Centre

AHF Men's Central Asia Cup 2019 - Day 4
Taldykorgan (KAZ)

Result

5 Sep 2019     KAZ v OMA (RR)     3 - 2

Pool standings

FIH Match Centre

Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey: Central Secretariat, Punjab National Bank make semis

On Saturday, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will take on Central Secretariat (CS) in the first semifinal of the 2019 Murugappa Gold Cup, while Indian Navy will face Punjab National Bank (PNB) in the next last-four fixture.

Samarnath Soory


Pardeep Mor (right) of Central Secretariat makes a save off a shot from Ranjot Singh of Punjab and Sind Bank during the 93rd All India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament.   -  M Vedhan

Central Secretariat (CS) booked a place in the semifinals with a 4-2 win over Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) in the 2019 Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament on Thursday at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai. Meanwhile, Punjab National Bank (PNB) also sealed a semis berth after it drew 3-3 with defending champion Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) in its final group game.

With a semis spot at stake, both PSB and CS began aggressively as Harmanjit Singh opened the scoring for the latter in the 13th minute with a good finish at the near post. CS came out all guns blazing in the second quarter as skipper Govind Singh Rawat pulled his side level in the 19th minute. Dharmanbir Yadav (24’) and Gaurav Kumar Singh (30’) scored in the space of six minutes to put CS in the driving seat.

PSB showed urgency after the break and pushed higher up the pitch. In the 35th minute, Satbir Singh got on the end of Harmanpreet Singh’s through ball to finish from point-blank. Adrenaline ran high as a rough tackle by Parvinder Singh on Indian international Pardeep Mor led to a confrontation between the duo. The umpire was forced to reach out for his yellow card as both teams were a man down for five minutes.

PSB dragflicker Gaganpreet Singh wasted two penalty corners while Umar Mohammed’s goal in the 39th minute was ruled out for a stick check on the goal keeper. CS stretched its lead to two goals in the 55th minute when Mohammed deflected a penalty corner variation at the near post to seal a semifinal berth.

PNB needed a draw in its final group match to qualify for the semis as it took on defending champion IOC. The holder led thrice through Arman Qureshi’s (6’) opening goal and Gurjinder Singh’s (16’, 33’) brace. PNB kept pace with IOC as Abhishek (8’), Sumit Toppo (20’) levelled the scores twice. Indian international Mandeep Mor scored PNB's third equaliser with a 50th minute dragflick to secure spot in the semifinal.

Semifinal Schedule

Semifinal 1: India Oil Corporation Ltd vs Central Secretariat - 4 pm, Saturday
Semifinal 2: Indian Navy vs Punjab National Bank – 6 pm, Saturday

Results

Pool A – Indian Oil Corporation 3 (Armaan Qureshi 6’, Gurjinder Singh 16’, 33’) drew with Punjab National Bank (Abhishek 8’, Sumit Toppo 20’, Mandeep Mor 50’)

Pool B – Central Secretariat 4 (Govind Singh Rawat 19’, Dharambir Yadav 24’, Gaurav Kumar Singh 30’, Umar Mohammed 55’) beat Punjab and Sind Bank 2 (Harmanjit Singh 13’, Satbir Singh 35’)

Sportstar

CST to take on IOC in semis after emphatic win

PNB draws with IOC, enters the last four, to meet Indian Navy

K. Keerthivasan


Key player: Pardeep Mor (right) of Central Secretariat saved off a shot from Ranjot Singh and later scored off a penalty corner to help CST through. 

Central Secretariat (CST) had garnered three draws — the most — in the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup all-India hockey tournament here. Against National champion Railways and Tamil Nadu, CST came from behind to equalise and against Indian Navy, it led briefly before allowing the opponent to make a comeback.

But in a must-win Group-B contest against Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) here on Thursday, CST played exceedingly well to post a commanding 4-2 win. With the victory, CST (six points) made it to the last four along with Indian Navy.

Later, in a Group-A tie, Punjab National Bank (PNB) drew with defending champion Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) 3-3. With the outcome, PNB (seven points) qualified for the semifinals, pipping Bengaluru HA by one point.

IOC will now take on CST in the semifinals on Saturday, while Indian Navy will clash with PNB in the other last-four clash.

PSB did all the work upfront in the first six minutes, scoring first through Harmanjit Singh in the first quarter. CST hit back twice in the span of five minutes through Govind Singh Rawat and Dharambir Yadav.

When PSB reduced the margin to 2-3 in the third quarter, it looked like it could mount a strong comeback. CST, however, sealed the match in the fourth when Umar Mohd. converted off a penalty corner.

PNB required a draw against IOC to make it to the knock-out and it did, thanks to a fine penalty corner strike by India junior Mandeep Mor.

Friday is a rest day.

The results: Group-A: IOC 3 (Armaan Qureshi 6, Gurjinder Singh 16 & 33) drew with PNB 3 (Abhishek 8, Sumit Toppo 20, Mandeep Mor 50).

Group-B: CST 4 (Govind Singh Rawat 19, Dharambir Yadav 24, Gaurav Kumar Rawat 30, Umar Mohd. 55) bt PSB 2 (Harmanjit Singh 13, Satbir Singh 35).

The Hindu

Revamped FIH Hockey Pro League set for 2020

By The Hockey Paper


LONDON – 2019 FIH Pro League (Women), Great Britain v New Zealand (RR). ©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

May is the magic month for Great Britain fans to watch international hockey when the second Pro League kick starts in 2020.

The revamped FIH Pro League will run from January to June with India men joining the global competition for the first time.

To reduce travel time away, with players’ mental health in mind, teams will play twice at home and away across two Pro League calendar years.

Great Britain men and women will begin their campaign when they travel to Australia and New Zealand at the start of February for double header clashes. In 2021, Australia will play in Great Britain.

After playing Holland away, GB will then have six home match days throughout May. The Stoop will likely be used for one of the matches.

Away matches in Belgium follow while GB finish at home against Germany on June 13-14 with another double header weekend.

FIH chief executive Thierry Weil said: “This new match schedule enables to reduce by half the travel of the teams compared to last year, therefore decreasing costs for teams, benefitting athletes’ welfare and reducing the impact on the environment.”

Great Britain Pro League match schedule

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)

Get ahead of the new season by joining our growing readership in print.

The Hockey Paper

Australia pulls out of women’s hockey World Cup bidding

By The Hockey Paper



Hockey Australia has withdrawn its bid to host the 2023 women’s Hockey World Cup.

The news was announced by the FIH this week as the world governing body revealed that more nations had expressed interest to host the next World Cup editions.

The men’s and women’s World Cups will be either in 2022 or 2023 depending on the climate and winning host nation.

It is not known at this stage if there will be any bids to host joint World Cups from the yet-to-be revealed nations.

For the preferred time window 1-17 July 2022:

Germany: Men’s or Women’s World Cup
Malaysia: Men’s World Cup
Spain: Men’s World Cup

For the preferred time window 13-29 January 2023:

India: Men’s or Women’s World Cup
New Zealand: Women’s World Cup

The Executive Board will make the final decision on both hosts at their next meeting on 8-9 November in Lausanne.

FIH chief executive Thierry Weil said: “It’s really encouraging that additional National Associations have signaled their interest in bidding. Since there was no issue at all in re-opening the bidding process at this point in time, the Executive Board has logically taken this decision. Meanwhile, the evaluation process of all bids already received continues.”

Get ahead of the new season by joining our growing readership in print.

The Hockey Paper

Taking mat-ters into their own hands

By Jugjet Singh


National hockey players train after laying down the mat at the National Sports Council Complex yesterday. PIC BY NIK HARIFF HASSAN

THE Malaysian men and women’s indoor hockey teams deserve a gold medal each for sheer dedication alone.

Deprived of a properly-laid indoor mat and, fed up with the red tape, the players recently took matters into their own hands to jointly lay the mat on their own at the National Sports Council Complex in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur.

One can understand their predicament as they need to get used to training on the mat in preparation for the Philippines Sea Games in November.

Their woes began when the indoor mat was ripped off from the Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre in Segambut and dumped in a storeroom in Balakong after the men delivered gold and women bronze at the KL Sea Games in 2017.

It remained there for almost two years before it was then dumped at the Kapung Baru NSC training centre in March.

“The players were training on wooden floor while the mat was left just a few feet away under the staircase,” said a spokesperson, who declined to be named.

“They were so fed up of seeing the mat lying under the staircase when they make their way upstairs for training daily that they decided to do the deed themselves in early August — carrying the mat upstairs and laying it.

“They did not glue it down but used tape to keep the mat in place. And they have been training on it since.”

Yesterday, assistant Sea Games chef-de-mission Nurul Huda Abdullah visited the indoor hockey players, and reminded them of their golden mission.

“Since field hockey will not be contested this time, we are banking on the indoor teams to deliver two gold medals. I’ve been told by the coaches that they are ready to do just that,” said Nurul Huda.

Women’s coach Yahya Atan has set his team an initial target of reaching the final while men’s coach Amin Rahim is confident of defending their gold.

“Thailand and Indonesia will be the teams to beat if we are to make the final and gun for gold,” said Yahya.

“After training on an international standard mat (instead of wooden floor) we are confident of bagging gold this time.”

Thanks to the players’ initiative, even Amin is confident his men can deliver the goods.

“We are ready to defend our gold medal, and the final list will be released after Roelant Oltmans (men’s field hockey coach) names his final 18 for the Olympic Qualifiers,” said Amin.

For the record, indoor hockey teams feature 12 players each, while field hockey teams have 18 each.

New Straits Times

Weekend College Games: Division II Season Opener Edition



USA Field Hockey's weekly feature of highlighting some of the top college games in Division I, II and III is back for the 2019 season.This week, we are covering the opening weekend of Division II.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

DII: No. 7 Kutztown at Adelphi | 4:00 p.m. ET

In the first game of their 2019 season, No. 7 Kutztown will hit the road to Garden City, N.Y. to take on Adelphi on Thursday. Historically, Kutztown has won the match-up between the two teams the past three years. The Golden Bears come off a 14-5 season where they made it to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoffs but lost to fellow top-ten ranked Millersville. Adelphi went 9-9 in 2018 and will hope to improve their record this season, starting with a win over Kutztown.

DII: No. 5 Pace at No. 4 Millersville | 4:00 p.m. ET

No. 4 Millersville will host No. 5 Pace in their opening match of the 2019 season in Lancaster, Pa. The two teams have not met in the last several years, and given their close rankings, both teams will look to keep their place in the top ten. Millersville comes off a 14-6 record in 2018 where the team did not make the cut to play in the NCAA tournament. Pace went 18-3 last season, and 2018 was historic for the program as they tallied the most wins in the division. The Setters made it to the Final Four but were ousted by East Stroudsburg. They will look to build off a successful previous year with their first game against the Marauders.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6



DI: Temple at Kent State | 11:00 a.m. ET

With two tallies in the win column, Temple will travel to Kent, Ohio to take on Kent State on Friday at 11:00 a.m. ET. The Owls' first two games resulted in identical scores as they defeated Merrimack and La Salle, 3-0 each. Temple will look to carry the momentum into the Friday match-up and leave victorious. Kent State is currently 1-2 with a win over Saint Francis and tough losses to Michigan State and Louisville. The Golden Flashes will look to even their record with a win over Temple.

DI: Drexel at No. 17 St. Joseph's | 4:00 p.m. ET | Live Stats

No. 17 St. Joseph’s will host Philly neighbor Drexel at 4:00 p.m. ET on Friday. The Hawks sit at 1-0 on the season so far, having won 9-1 against Hofstra in the opening weekend. Drexel has two losses against them as they were bested by Ohio and Indiana in their tour of the midwest last weekend. The two teams have a rich history as rivals, and St. Joseph’s leads the 35-game series with 17 wins over the Dragons.

DII: No. 8 Stonehill at No. 2 West Chester | 7:00 p.m. ET

No. 8 Stonehill will travel to West Chester, Pa. to battle No. 2 West Chester on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Last season, West Chester walked away with the victory over Stonehill in the opening game of 2018. The Rams saw success the previous year, earning a 17-3 record and making it to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament, before losing to Division II champion, Shippensburg. They will look to continue to find positive outcomes on the field in 2019. Stonehill also did well in 2019, ending with a 13-7 record as they fell to Merrimack in the Northeast 10 (NE10) Conference semifinals. Although West Chester won in 2018, Stonehill holds a victory in the series between the two teams in this top-10 match-up.

DII: Southern New Hampshire at No. 10 Limestone | 7:00 p.m. ET

Southern New Hampshire will be hosted by No. 10 Limestone in Gaffney, S.C. on Friday. Ranked No. 10, Limestone broke into the top ranks in Division II and will look to keep their spot amongst the best teams. They come off a 14-4 record and a South Atlantic Conference Carolinas (SACC) Championship in 2018. Southern New Hampshire earned a 10-9 overall record and made it into the NE10 quarterfinals before they were knocked out by Saint Anselm. The Penmen will battle to end Limestone’s stint in the top ten.

DIII: Denison at No. 17 Washington & Jefferson | 7:00 p.m ET

Denison will travel to Washington, Pa. to face No. 17 Washington & Jefferson on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Denison boasts a 2-0 record thus far in the season, having won their first two games against Dickinson and Elizabethtown. Washington & Jefferson managed to win in a shootout against Wittenberg but lost to Shenandoah in their second game of 2019. Both teams will look to improve their record in this coming game.

DIII: Randolph Macon at No. 5 Johns Hopkins | 7:00 p.m. ET

In Baltimore, No. 5 Johns Hopkins will host Randolph Macon on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Hopkins comes off two wins against Washington & Lee and Mary Washington in their opening weekend games. Meanwhile, Randolph Macon easily bested McDaniel in their first game of 2019. Historically, Hopkins has come out on top in the previous meetings of the two teams.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

DI: No. 18 Syracuse at Cornell | 12:00 p.m. ET

Two strong New York-based teams, No. 18 Syracuse and Cornell, will meet in Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET to determine who will win in the latest showdown in this historic rivalry. The last time the two teams met was in 2016, where Syracuse won 5-0. The Orange currently hold a record of 3-0, with wins over Vermont, UMass Lowell and Lafayette, two of which went to overtime periods. Cornell has yet to play a game, making their match against Syracuse their season opener.

DI: Bucknell at Virginia Commonwealth | 3:00 p.m. ET

For their third game of the year, Virginia Commonwealth will host Bucknell on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET. VCU will look to add a win to their record as they meet the Bison. The first game for the Rams did not go as planned as they dropped their season opener to Lafayette. Bucknell meanwhile holds one win over Lock Haven and one loss to James Madison, both proving to be close games. When the two teams met in 2018, it was Bucknell who walked away with the win over VCU.

DII: Bellarmine at No. 3 East Stroudsburg | 1:00 p.m. ET

No. 3 East Stroudsburg will host Bellarmine on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in their opening game of the season. The two teams have not faced each other in the history of the two programs. East Stroudsburg continued to do well in 2018 with a 16-5 record and another trip to the Final Four but were defeated by Shippensburg in the National Championship. They will look to secure another chance in the title game in 2019 with another strong performance. Bellarmine went 8-9 in 2018 and did not appear in their conference championships. The Knights will press onward, looking for improvement on their last season record.



DII: Belmont Abbey vs. No. 1 Shippensburg | 2:00 p.m. ET

Belmont Abbey will open their 2019 season on the road against No. 1 Shippensburg on Saturday at 1 p.m. With both teams traveling to Charlotte, N.C., no team can claim home advantage in their first time ever meeting. Shippensburg comes off their third consecutive national title and a 19-4 record last season. They will seek another strong showing as they go for another winning season. Belmont Abbey, with a 6-10 record in 2018, will look to knock off the first seed and potentially prevent a fourth consecutive title for the Raiders.

DIII: No. 1 Middlebury at Wesleyan | 11:00 a.m. ET

Reigning National Champions Middlebury will be on the road this weekend in Middleton, Conn. to take on Wesleyan at 11:00 a.m. ET on Saturday. Last season, Middlebury bested the Cardinals 11-1, but it is still early in the season for the Panthers. In their first game of the season, Middlebury faced Castleton and defeated them 8-0. Wesleyan opened their season against Eastern Connecticut State on Wednesday and easily overpowered them as well. Both teams have notched wins, but only one can walk away remaining undefeated after Saturday.

DIII: No. 2 Tufts at Williams | 1:00 p.m. ET

Both No. 2 Tufts and Williams have yet to play their first game in 2019, and the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) rivals will meet in Williamstown, Mass. on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET to kick off their seasons. Last year, Tufts defeated Williams 2-0 in mid-season play, and they battled their way through the NCAA Tournament to the National Championship game but left with the silver trophy. Williams qualified for the NESCAC Tournament, but Tufts knocked them out of contention for the championship. As both teams seek their first win of the season, the conference rivalry makes this matchup mean even more.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8



DI: No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 3 Duke | 12:00 p.m. CT

No. 2 Maryland will take on No. 3 Duke in Evanston, Ill. on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT as part of the B1G/ACC Cup. The two teams both have two wins under their belt in the 2019 season so far. Maryland defeated Richmond and New Hampshire in their opening weekend, while Duke outplayed Penn State and William and Mary in their first two matches last week. In the series between the Terps and Blue Devils, Maryland carries 34 wins, and they also won in 2018 when the squads played in the same tournament.

DI: No. 14 Ohio State at No. 11 Virginia | 1:00 p.m. ET

Two top-20 teams, No. 14 Ohio State and No. 11 Virginia, will face each other in Charlottesville, Va. on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. Both teams boast a 2-0 record in the season so far with Ohio State beating UMass and Boston University last weekend, and Virginia overpowering Penn State and Old Dominion. Both teams will look to stay undefeated as they meet on Sunday. The Buckeyes and the Cavaliers last met in 2014, where Ohio State managed to outscore UVA who holds the most wins in the history of the meetings between the teams.

DII: New Haven at Assumption | 2:00 p.m. ET

New Haven will travel to Worcester, Mass. on Sunday to take on Assumption in the 2019 opening weekend match-ups. New Haven will look to improve on their 2-15 record from 2018, and they have stacked their schedule with plenty of strong opponents to put them to the test. Assumption earned a 12-8 record in 2018 and appeared in the NE10 playoffs before being eliminated by Saint Anselm in the semifinals. Both teams seek a strong showing in the first game of the year, providing momentum for their tough schedules ahead.



DII: Molloy at American International | 1:00 p.m. ET

Molloy will open their 2019 season on the road at American International in Springfield, Mass. on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. Having never played each other before, the match-up will set the tone for Molloy. The Lions went 12-7 in 2018 and made it to the East Coast Conference (ECC) Championship but lost to Mercy College. When Molloy comes to town on Sunday, American International will have already played two other games against New Haven and Slippery Rock earlier in the week. After going 3-15 last season, American International looks to improve their record in the opening weekend with three wins, including one over Molloy.

DIII: Goucher at Ferrum | 1:00 p.m. ET

Goucher may have the upper hand as they have a win under their belt, going 1-1 in their opening weekend. They lost to St. Mary’s but won the second match-up of the weekend against Transylvania. Ferrum suffered a tough 0-1 loss to Oberlin last Friday. Goucher came away with the victory as the two met early in the 2018 season, so Ferrum will look to get revenge and earn their first win of the year.

DIII: Lynchburg at Albright | 1:00 p.m. ET

Coming off a win over Lebanon Valley, Lynchburg will play away at Albright on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. Albright has two losses against them after playing Eastern and Stockton this past weekend. However, they fended off Delaware Valley on Wednesday to earn their first win of the season. Albright will have more games played and thus more experience going into the match-up, but Lynchburg will fight to improve their season record.

USFHA media release

Field hockey seeks second-straight win of season against Michigan

Inyoung Choiby Inyoung Choi


Stanford field hockey has built up something of a rivalry with the Michigan Wolverines. The Cardinal lost 2-1 on Sept. 2, 2016 in the second of three straight loses to the Wolverines, but that drought ended with a win last season, and Stanford is now looking to build a winning streak of its own. (Photo: David Bernal/isiphotos.com)

No. 21 Stanford field hockey (1-2, 0-0 America East) will shoot for its second-straight victory when No. 7 Michigan (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten) visits the Farm on Friday. The Wolverines will be the Cardinal’s third ranked opponent in the first four games of the season.

The Michigan and Stanford field hockey teams have been at odds since the programs first met in 2007. The two schools have played a total of nine games, four of which Stanford has won. In last year’s matchup, the Cardinal broke a three-year losing streak to the Big Ten foe with a 4-2 triumph.

Stanford began this season with some bumps. Following consecutive losses to No. 15 Northwestern and No. 4 Connecticut, Stanford staged a minor comeback with its first win of the season on Tuesday against Quinnipiac. With three games in the book, Stanford has averaged three goals per game and a 0.214 shot percentage, well below the 0.249 shot percentage from last season.

Michigan, like Stanford, is coming off its first victory of the season, having won its most recent game against No. 10 Wake Forest. Having played only two games, Michigan has produced a 0.556 shot percentage, scoring five goals out of nine shots. The succinct number of shots stands out among other teams in the league — No. 1 North Carolina has a shot percentage of 0.316 after making six of its 19 shots.

Both teams enter with strong offense. Junior All-American attacker Corinne Zanolli led the Cardinal in goals made last season with 26, the highest single-season record for a Stanford field hockey player. She has four of Stanford’s nine goals this season.

Michigan midfield Meg Dowthwaite, a former All-American who entered this season with 34 career goals, continues her final season journey. The senior has already netted three goals in the opening two matchups of the season.

Dowthwaite will be a formidable force of the Wolverine offense when Michigan visits Varsity Field Hockey Turf on Friday at 7 p.m. PST.

The Stanford Daily

Sport Ireland Women in Sport funding announcement for Hockey Ireland



Sport Ireland today announced the recipients of Women in Sport funding for 2019/2020. Hockey Ireland is delighted to receive support of €150,000 towards our new Leaders in Hockey programme.

Sport Ireland’s commitment to increasing women’s sustained involvement in sport saw the Women in Sport Policy launched earlier this year. This policy has highlighted the following key areas where current gaps and future opportunities for women in sport exist:

    Coaching & Officiating,
    Active Participation,
    Leadership, and
    Governance and Visibility.

Sport Ireland re-launched the Women in Sport funding programme for National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships this year to activate their Women in Sport Policy. Recognising the significant role National Governing Bodies play in enhancing the landscape for women in sport in Ireland, and “that effective and sustainable programmes require a long-term approach”, the funding is granted over a two-year period.

Speaking on the announcement, Sue Haslam, Hockey Ireland National Development Manager, said “We are very grateful for the continued support from Sport Ireland. This funding will enable us to grow our leadership base while also engaging with and helping to facilitate women to reach their full potential as leaders.

"Hockey Ireland is delighted to receive this support in order to develop our Leaders in Hockey programme."

The multifaceted programme aims to enable, encourage and empower females to become leaders, while focusing on 3 areas of leadership within our sport; Coaching, Umpiring, and Administration. Sport Ireland’s support through the Women in Sport funding is invaluable for assembling and delivering this programme.

The various elements of the Leaders in Hockey programme will be launched in the coming weeks and will impact leadership at a club level, as well as at a higher level through mentoring programmes. The ambitious plan will create a supportive leadership pathway for our coaches, umpires and volunteers, that will create new role models for the next generation of leaders.

Irish Hockey Association media release

Moving tribute to young hockey player



Tragedy has brought a hockey community together in Germany as the family and friends of a young hockey player have come together to raise information about the disease that took his life.

John Grube was struck down by the rare disease Granulomatosis with Polyangilitis (GPA) when he was just 15. Despite the condition, which affects the workmate and efficiency of blood vessels in the major organs, John continued to play hockey for the first team of the Hamburger Polo Club for a further three years.

The young, popular hockey player died just before his 18th birthday, a few weeks after the illness had caused him to stop playing the sport he loved.

In memory of John, friends and family from Hamburger Polo Club have created the John Grube Foundation which aims, through its website – GPA-info.org – to raise awareness and inform people about the rare and little known disease.

The Foundation will also raise funds to support international research projects into the disease.

In addition, a group of volunteers at Hamburger Polo Club have worked together to produce a video which summarises and explains the Foundations creation, its purpose and its objectives and future projects. One member of the club has described the film as “moving and beautiful.” One of the key messages contained within the film is to warn parents about the dangers of GPA, which is rare among children but potentially fatal.

Chair of the John Grube Foundation Friedrich Schaper said: “Thanks to every helping hand, volunteer and supporter from Hamburger Polo Club. We are very proud of the outcome.”

FiH site