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News for 09 October 2019

All the news for Wednesday 9 October 2019


2019 Test matches FRA v BEL
Lille (FRA)

8 Oct 2019     FRA v BEL     1 - 2 (2 - 4 SO)

FIH Match Centre



France will play long game in bid to topple Spain



Continuing our series of video interviews with the teams that will participate in the upcoming FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers, one of the mainstays of the French team (FIH World Ranking:12) Charles Masson looks ahead to his team’s all-important two-match clash with EuroHockey silver medalists Spain (WR:8), with a place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on the line. The crucial matches will take place at the Estadio Betero in Valencia, Spain on 25/26 October 2019, with timings to be confirmed in the coming weeks. A transcription of the interview can be found below.

The FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers will be taking place very soon. How is your team preparing for these hugely important matches?

Charles Masson: We have been training four times a week. We played some games against Ireland and we have some games against Belgium and Holland in the next weeks. So we are preparing with these games, working on our tactics. We train at home as well as with the group. We are preparing well.

What can we expect to see from your team at the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers?

Charles Masson: We need to be a creative group. We need to be aggressive on the pitch. We need to be patient because it is not just one game, it is two games so it is a long time. It is two times 60 minutes. We must be a real team and we need to make sure we play together.

What are your thoughts about your opponent in the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers and how is your squad feeling about these matches?

Charles Masson: Spain is a strong team. As we saw, they came second in the Europeans [2019 EuroHockey Championships]. That means a lot, it means they are ready to play against us. They are aggressive in defence. They are structured. We need to be focused to play as best we can. We need to manage that and we need to be patient, as I said before. We need to find solutions on the pitch. But we will work a lot on that, looking at the tactics, with the coach.

What would qualifying for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 mean to you and your team?

Charles Masson: It means a lot. It is a dream for everybody. There has been a lot of sacrifice. We train really hard every day, every week. It is also a lot of commitment from the Federation because they have invested a lot in us, so we need to win those games. It is a dream to be part of the Olympics.

Each qualifier consists of two back-to-back matches which will be played in the same venue. The winners of these FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers will qualify for the 2020 Olympic hockey tournaments which will be staged in Japan’s capital city from 25 July to 7 August next year and involve 12 Men’s and 12 Women’s teams.

#Tokyo2020
#RoadToTokyo
#GiftOfHockey

FIH site



Hockey Ireland Announce Squad for Men’s Olympic Qualifier



Head Coach Mark Tumilty has announced the Irish squad which will travel to Vancouver for Olympic qualifier double header at the end of this month. The team confirmed their place in the Olympic qualifier last June by beating Korea to reach the final match of their FIH Series Final in Le Touquet.

Having recently returned from a two-series test match against France in Bordeaux, securing two wins from two, the squad is in positive form. The men will travel to Belgium this weekend for final preparations ahead of their Olympic qualifier in Vancouver.

The squad is as follows:

David Harte
David Fitzgerald
Lee Cole
Conor Harte
Jonathan Bell
Stuart Loughrey
John Jackson
Tim Cross
Daragh Walsh
Sean Murray
Chris Cargo
Shane O’Donoghue
Michael Robson
Eugene Magee
John McKee
Matthew Nelson
Jeremy Duncan
Peter Caruth

Both Stephen Cole and Ben Walker will travel with the team as reserves.

Speaking on the announcement, Mark said, “This squad has a good mix of experience and youth. We’ve seen good progress over the last three weeks. I’m confident this group of players has the ability to be successful in the Olympic qualifiers.”

The Irish men’s Olympic Qualifier will take place in Vancouver on the 26th and 27th of October. The winner on goal aggregate will seal their spot for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

For those travelling to support the Green Machine, tickets for the qualifier in Rutledge Field in West Vancouver can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/fih-olympic-qualifier-canada-vs-ireland-tickets-74056120851?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Irish Hockey Association media release



Black Sticks begin their road to Tokyo Qualification



The Vantage Black Sticks Men are set to face world number 15 Japan in the TSB Community Trust four-match series in Stratford. The series will serve as the last chance for the New Zealand Men to work out their combinations as they tune-up ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Qualifiers which will be held in Stratford on the 2nd and 3rd November against Korea.  

The Vantage Black Sticks Men have taken on the Japan Samurai on 13 occasions since the 2016 Rio Olympics. During this period the New Zealand team have come away with 8 victories compared to the Japanese three, on three other occasions the teams have battled out for a draw. The last time these two sides crossed paths the New Zealand team squeezed out a narrow 4-3 victory thanks to a last-minute Stephen Jenness shot.

The New Zealand Men have been down in Stratford since Monday and during this time they have been training and getting involved with the local community where on Wednesday afternoon 100s of locals came down to the TET Multi Sports Centre to have a hit around with both teams.

Vantage Black Sticks Men’s Coach Darren Smith commented ahead of the first match “It’s fantastic to have Japan here in Stratford for 4 games in preparation for the Olympic Qualifiers next month. The series will give us a chance to settle into the environment, play on the turf and bring the squad back together. With five players returning from Europe we will look to settle them back into the group and get our rhythm both on and off the pitch. This will include tomorrow night where we will focus on starting the series well and quickly making sure our performance levels are high against a quick, skilled and aggressive opponent in Japan”

Smith has named a vastly experienced side for the first match which sees the return of Steve Edwards and Simon Child for the first time since 2016, Smith will be looking to the two returning Olympians to bring some firepower to the New Zealand Men as they look to hit the lead early against Japan

Match one which is proudly presented by the Asia New Zealand Foundation pushes back at 6:00 pm at the TET Multi Sports Centre in Stratford.

The match will be live-streamed on the Hockey New Zealand Facebook and YouTube Channel

TSB Community Trust Vantage Black Sticks Men vs Japan Test Series – New Zealand Match One Squad

Number

Name

Age

Caps

2

Cory Bennett

28

96

4

Dane Lett

29

63

6

Simon Child

31

274

7

Nick Ross

29

117

11

Jacob Smith

28

74

12

Sam Lane

22

52

13

Marcus Child

28

161

14

Jared Panchia

25

122

15

George Enersen (GK)

28

58

17

Nic Woods

24

116

18

Brad Read

24

26

23

Dylan Thomas

23

15

24

Arun Panchia ©

30

280

25

Shea McAleese

35

298

27

Stephen Jenness

29

239

30

George Muir

25

132

31

Steve Edwards

33

207

34

Leon Hayward

29

13 (AUS)

Hockey New Zealand Media release



U21 hockey team thrash Oman

The Test Series is part of the preparation for the Bangabandhu Junior Asia Cup and Junior World Cup qualifiers next year
 

Action from the first match of the Test series between Bangladesh U-21 and Oman U-21 in Dhaka Tuesday Dhaka Tribune/Md Manik

Bangladesh U-21 hockey team began the five-match Hockey Test Series against Oman with a thrashing 5-1 win at Maulana Bhasani National Stadium in Dhaka Tuesday.

Bangladesh U-21 team have five players who also played for the senior side, and the national players were involved in the scoring and build-up of four goals out of five.

Captain and drag-and-flick specialist Ashraful Islam broke the deadlock with only three minutes into the clock from the first penalty corner of the game converting Naim Uddin’s flick after Fazle Rabby’s push.

Mohammad Arshad Hossain hit the back of the board following a Rabby pass four minutes later as the home side finished the opening quarter with a two-goal lead.

They added only one goal in the second quarter when Sohanur Rahman Sabuj converted a penalty corner in the 17th minute.

Naim Uddin extended the lead in the 33rd minute from a field goal before Oman’s Rashad al-Fazari pulled one back two minutes later.

Mahbub Hossain sealed victory for Bangladesh in the 42nd minute.

The fourth and final quarter ended goalless.

Bangladesh head coach Mamunur Rashid was content with the team performance, saying, “We could have done better but I’m happy with the performance as it is the first game. I hope they will play better in the next matches.”

The second practice game will be held at the same venue Wednesday.

The Test Series is part of the preparation for the Bangabandhu Junior Asia Cup and Junior World Cup qualifiers next year.

The Dhaka Tribune



PHF in talks with MCH to field national team in Azlan Shah Cup

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Brig (R) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar has said that talks with Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MCH) are underway and it is hoped that Pakistan once again will start featuring in Azlan Shah Cup.  “We are in talks with the MCH. We have made solid progress and now they (MCH) are willing to invite us for the Azlan Shah Cup,” he said. Pakistan, who had almost regularly been featuring in the Azlan Shah Cup since its inception in 1983, could not participate in the last three editions of the event as the organizers did not invite them.  Khokhar said the talks with the MCH were moving on quite positively and they had also agreed to send their junior team to Pakistan. “Their junior team is likely to visit Pakistan soon. And we hope the junior team’s visit will also pave way for their senior team’s visit,” he added.

The PHF chief said that the federation had decided to motivate foreign teams to tour Pakistan. “I believe we need to ask them to visit us as this is the best way to revive hockey here,” he said.

Terming Oman national team’s recent visit to Pakistan a positive sign, he expressed the optimism that it would open the doors for world’s top outfits’ visit to the country.

He said the federation was also trying host Netherlands for a bilateral series. He said he had recently met with Dutch Ambassador to Pakistan Wouter Plomp and discussed a number of hockey related matters, including the exchange programme between the two countries. “He has shown very keen interest in Netherlands team’s visit to Pakistan and agreed to send recommendations to his country’s hockey authorities and the government for that.

“I have told him that Pakistan is fully secure to host international events and if his country’s team visits Pakistan it will be provided foolproof security,” he said.

Pakistan hockey team is scheduled to visit the Netherlands to play two-match Olympic qualifiers against them in Amstelveen on October 26-27. And Khokhar said that on the sidelines of that visit, the PHF management would be trying to persuade Netherlands hockey authorities to send their team to Pakistan.

“Before our team’s visit to The Netherlands I’ll also speak to Pakistan’s Ambassador there so that necessary headway can be made for that purpose,” he added.

The Nation



No. 7 field hockey wins two tight OT comebacks

By Molly Milligan


Sophomore midfielder Hannah Davey, the Ivy League offensive player of the week. Photo credit: Beverly Schaefer, GoPrincetonTigers.

Four minutes and four seconds remained in then-No. 12 Field Hockey’s (7–4 overall, 2–0 Ivy League) game against then-No. 2 Duke. The score stood at 4–4.

Junior striker Clara Roth lined up for the Tigers’ third corner of the period. The ball flew from her stick to junior midfielder Julianna Tornetta’s to sophomore midfielder Hannah Davey’s. Davey wove through a thicket of defenders in blue, almost tripped, wound up, and shot.

Duke’s goaltender doubled over. Sophomore striker Ali McCarthy threw herself into Davey’s arms. Princeton’s squad rushed the field.

David: Five. Goliath: Four.

It was the culmination of a thrilling weekend for the Tigers, who prevailed in two overtime matches this weekend and rose to the seventh spot in the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches’ Poll.

Before the Tigers could ready for the showdown with Duke, they had to get through a struggling Ivy League foe. Princeton faltered in the early minutes of its game against Yale on Saturday, giving up two goals in the first five minutes of the match. The Tigers pressed on offense early in the second stanza, registering four shots in just five minutes. Princeton would finally score on a corner, as sophomore fullback Claire Donovan converted her first career goal on a ball from first-year defender Autumn Brown.

Heading into halftime, Princeton held a 18–3 shot advantage despite being behind 2–1 on the score board.

Roth evened the score at two goals apiece early in the third quarter. She took the ball along the far baseline and whipped a turnaround shot into the cage for her sixth goal of the season.

Minutes later, Donovan picked up a turnover at the top of the circle and wasted no time firing the shot home for her second goal of the game. The third quarter was also an impressive defensive stand for the Tigers, who did not allow a single shot by the Bulldogs in that period.

Yale would even the game late in the fourth quarter and send the match into overtime, but Princeton responded with five shots to open extra play.

With only three minutes remaining on the clock, Tornetta possessed the ball in front of Yale’s goal. She weaved through several defenders before unloading the ball to McCarthy, who slipped a shot into the back of the cage to complete the Tigers’ comeback.

And the two-goal comeback against Princeton’s Ivy League rival paled in comparison to the next day’s feat.

The Tigers’ Sunday match on the Blue Devils’ home turf saw a scoreless first quarter, as Princeton failed to convert on a pair of late corners. The Tigers would get on the board early in the second stanza, as junior striker Emma Street intercepted a pass in the circle and found McCarthy, who evaded a defender and scored.

Duke then responded with a flurry of goal-scoring, ultimately sending four balls past senior goalie Grace Baylis in less than 10 minutes of game time. Noor van de Laar and Leah Crouse would count consecutive tallies just 27 seconds apart before McCarthy added her second goal of the day on an assist by Davey.

All in all, the second quarter featured six goals and 11 shots, leaving Duke with a 4–2 lead at the half.

Princeton would hardly falter, however. Junior midfielder MaryKate Neff tapped in a shot by first-year midfielder Sammy Popper off a corner in the third, while junior goalie Grace Brightbill, inserted to start the second half, came up with two huge saves to start off the fourth.

With just 2:11 remaining, and Princeton still trailing 3–4, the ball was commanded by Roth, whose first shot was denied. The junior striker recovered possession and dribbled along the baseline before firing the equalizer with only 0:43 on the clock, forcing overtime.

Davey then scored the game-winner, slipping the ball between Duke’s goalie and the near post. She was honored as the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week, having produced the decisive score against Duke and then-No. 11 Delaware earlier in the week.

The Tigers are back in action this Saturday when they will welcome Columbia to Bedford Field.

The Daily Princetonian



No. 8 field hockey falls to No. 17 Boston College, defeats No. 22 Old Dominion in overtime

Virginia’s offense struggled to produce against No. 17 Boston College, but rebounded with an overtime win against No. 22 Old Dominion


The Cavaliers were tested by the strong Eagle defense and were unable to produce any goals against Boston College. In a rebounding effort, however, Virginia recorded an overtime win against Old Dominion.  Courtesy Virginia Athletics

No. 8 Virginia suffered a 1-0 home defeat to No. 17 Boston College Friday but bounced back to secure a tight overtime win over No. 22 Old Dominion Sunday at Turf Field. The Cavaliers (9-3, 1-2 ACC) failed to produce any goals in a subpar offensive performance against the Eagles (5-5, 2-1 ACC). However, Virginia found its rhythm against the Monarchs (6-4, 2-1 Big East) to avoid a weekend sweep.

In a highly anticipated top-25 matchup between two ACC contenders, Boston College brought their best defensive effort, frustrating the Cavaliers and preventing them from establishing any flow to their offense. Virginia had plenty of opportunities to score, registering 10 shots in the game, but the Eagles made just enough defensive plays to blank the Cavaliers.

Both teams came out with an aggressive offensive attack in the first quarter, with the Cavaliers registering four shots and the Eagles contributing five. Virginia had a corner opportunity three times in the first quarter and Boston College had two, but neither team could convert their chances.

The coaches for both teams made defensive adjustments prior to the start of the second quarter, as the Cavaliers and Eagles only registered one shot apiece in the frame. However, Boston College made the most of their only chance on a penalty corner. Junior midfielder Fusine Govaert found the back of the net on a goal that was set with precise passing and assists from freshman forward Margo Carlin and freshman back Darcy Clement.

Down 1-0 entering halftime, Coach Michele Madison knew her offense had to make a play to get back into the game, and the Cavaliers came out of the half dominating the point of attack. Virginia had five shots in the third quarter while the Eagles only registered one shot. However,  the Eagles made just enough plays to keep the Cavaliers from scoring. On a promising corner opportunity set up by senior back Anzel Viljoen, sophomore back Amber Ezechiels had her shot blocked, as the Cavaliers surrendered their best chance of the quarter.

Virginia’s offense could not find its rhythm in the fourth period, failing to produce a shot as the Eagles went on to preserve the shutout victory.

Despite its struggles against Boston College, Virginia bounced back and secured an impressive victory Sunday over another ranked opponent in No. 22 Old Dominion.

The Cavaliers came out of the gates strong, with sophomore midfielder Annie McDonough netting her first goal of the season just 1:27 into the game. The goal proved to be just the momentum the Cavaliers needed to find their footing. Virginia went on to allow just one shot the rest of the period and maintained possession in the Monarchs’ half for the majority of the frame.

Old Dominion and Virginia battled defensively until the Monarchs finally cracked the Cavaliers’ stingy defense to tie the game at one with under three minutes to play in the second quarter. Freshman back Nicole Fredricks found the back of the net for her first goal of the season off of an assist by sophomore midfielder Riley Taylor.

The Monarchs jumped on the Cavaliers midway through the third period. Sophomore forward Erin Huffman scored her first goal of the game off an assist from freshman back Alice Demars. However, Viljoen responded for the Cavaliers just over a minute later for her fourth goal of the season, tying the game at two apiece.

After testing Old Dominion’s defense with just six shots over the first three quarters, Virginia began the fourth quarter with an explosive offensive attack. The Cavaliers fired seven shots in the fourth quarter alone, but the Monarchs held strong to maintain the 2-2 tie heading into overtime. Old Dominion sophomore goalkeeper Cam MacGillivray was especially impressive, turning away three of those shots in her best stretch of the game.

Virginia kept its gas on the pedal in the extra frame and at 1:27 into overtime, McDonough scored her second goal of the game and season off an assist from junior striker Makayla Gallen.

The Cavaliers managed to salvage a win to conclude their weekend series, but the team finishes the stretch with defensive concerns. Virginia has allowed nine goals in the past four games after giving up just six in the eight games prior.

Virginia will return to ACC play in a road game against Louisville Friday at 6:00 p.m. The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra.

The Cavalier Daily



A difficult weekend continues

Losing to #4 Maryland in double overtime is acceptable and understandable! Falling to Maine, on the other hand...

By Lia Assimakopoulos


Northwestern Field Hockey

You may have already heard, but this weekend was rough.

No. 5 Northwestern’s eight-game win streak came to an abrupt end in a tough two losses, which spanned four days. The Wildcats (10-4, 3-1 B1G) fell 2-1 to fourth-ranked Maryland in double overtime and 4-3 to unranked (and 3-7) Maine in overtime this weekend. Heading into the final few weeks of play, NU took a big step backwards.

The Terps barely survived Evanston with a win on Friday, as the Wildcats put up an impressive fight against their third top-five opponent this season. Maryland started off strong, finding the back of the net just five minutes into play. However, it was a defensive battle for the rest of regulation, as the Wildcats were able to shut down six penalty corners behind Florien Marcussen’s season-high nine saves.

Late in the fourth, the ‘Cats still trailed by one, but Kirsten Mansfield tied it up with under three minutes to play off of a rebound from their first penalty corner, sending things to overtime for the second game in a row (after last week’s home win over Michigan).

For the first ten minutes of overtime, both teams’ defenses held strong. Marcussen charted another crucial save off a tricky Maryland shot, forcing a second extra session. Midway through the second overtime period, Bente Baekers carried the ball down field, dodging her first defender with one left to beat.

As she beat the second with a clear goal ahead, the player tripped her from behind to prevent the wide-open goal, which likely would have ended the game. However, the ensuing missed call on what should have been a penalty stroke would ultimately decide the fate of the contest.

Immediately, Maryland was able to steal the ball from first year Alia Marshall deep in Northwestern territory, leaving Emma DeBerdine one-on-one in the circle and setting up the game-winning goal.

The loss was a heart-breaking one for the Wildcats, but their valiant efforts against a consistently impressive Maryland team certainly boded well for post-season hopes.

Northwestern then immediately suffered its worst loss of the season against arguably one of the worst Division 1 teams in the country.

NU fell behind early, but Bente Baekers tied things up with her 17th goal of the season. Maine regained the lead at half, and each team tallied another in the third to give the Black Bears the 3-2 lead heading into the fourth. With under four minutes to play, first year midfielder Ana Medina Garcia put in the equalizer off a rebound on a corner, sending the Wildcats to their third consecutive overtime game.

Maine was ultimately able to steal the win in overtime — the final blow of a painful weekend.

With just five games left in the regular season, the Wildcats will hit the road to take on Penn State on Friday and No. 18 Rutgers on Sunday. They could certainly use some positive results to get things back on track.

Inside NU

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