Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): An emphatic 5-1 victory over Spain for Belgium’s men ensured the FIH Hockey Pro League title fight will go down to one last thrilling showdown in Antwerp. The win means their final clash of the season, against the Netherlands on Tuesday, will determine the destination of the trophy. Belgium need a win against the Dutch to claim it while even a shoot-out loss would be enough for the Netherlands to successfully defend their title. Meanwhile, the USA women have left themselves a seemingly impossible task to avoid relegation in their final match on Wednesday after going down 5-2 to Germany. The victory meant the Germans wrapped up their campaign on 29 points – currently in fourth place but with the possibility of still being overtaken by Belgium, who have two matches remaining.(Women’s) United States vs Germany 2-5Germany took control from the start when a ball was lifted into the circle after deflecting off an American stick. Pauline Heinz did well to control it and beat the keeper to score the opener. Just a minute later Charlotte Stapenhorst received the ball at the top of the D and was afforded plenty of space and time to fire it into the back of the net to double that lead within the first six minutes.The Americans played themselves back into the match towards the end of the first quarter and managed to thwart the German attack in the second period. But a German penalty corner in the third quarter resulted in US keeper Kelsey Bing making two great saves, before Lena Micheel’s third attempt finally got the better of her.Micheel was back in action when she passed in for Jette Fleschütz to drill in Germany’s fourth. They took their foot off the pedal somewhat in the final period and the hard-working USA were finally rewarded for their efforts when Amanda Golini bulleted one in from just inside the circle. A good team effort then culminated with Danielle Grega slotting in their second. The US keeper was pulled to push for another but that only resulted in Sara Strauss claiming Germany’s fifth against the run of play.(Men’s) Belgium vs Spain 5-1Unlike their previous encounter, where the Belgians were 5-1 up by half-time, it was a subdued first half in Antwerp. The home side enjoyed much of the possession but only had four shots on goal to Spain’s two.That all changed in the second half, however. Right at the start of the third quarter, Belgium began a speedy counterattack from the Spanish backline – Felix Denayer’s pinpoint pass finding Sébastien Dockier who had all the time in the world to line up his shot and power it into the back of the net. Five minutes later, Arno van Dessel’s strike was saved by the Spanish keeper, but the ball bounced out to the top of the D where Nicolas de Kerpel pounced on it to fire in Belgium’s second. That seemed to open the floodgates. Alex Hendrickx drilled in the third off a penalty corner which took a big deflection off a Spanish defender, and less than a minute later, Victor Wegnez blasted in their fourth.

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland):-Netherlands and Argentina men while Australia and Germany women claimed victories in the field hockey ties after beating their rivals at two different venues Lee Valley Tennis and Hockey Centre, London, and Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein, Antwerp Belgium in Pro Hockey Leagues competitions.Argentina beat New Zealand 4-2 on SO (2-2)The Black Sticks looked like a different team, playing with much more confidence. They earned their first penalty corner in the second quarter, Kane Russell’s powerful flick to the keeper’s left handing his side the lead.With just over five minutes left in the half, four-goal hero from their last encounter, Tomas Domene, dragged the ball into the bottom left of goal off an Argentinian penalty corner for the equaliser. But the lead didn’t last long after Sean Findlay received the ball in the circle and crossed it in for Hayden Phillips to tap in for the lead just ahead of the half-time break.Nicolas Della Torre then levelled the scores off a penalty corner in the third quarter. While New Zealand were awarded one final penalty corner with 10 seconds left on the clock, the shot went wide, taking the match to a shoot-out, which Los Leones edged 4-2.Netherlands beat Spain on SO 3-1 (2-2)An entertaining first quarter brought Spanish keeper Rafael Revilla into action on several occasions as the Dutch pushed for the opener. But it was the Spanish who eventually scored first in the second period. Borja Lacalle’s excellent run into the D, delivered the ball for Gerard Clapes to provide a beautiful finish and hand the Spanish the lead.With three minutes remaining in the half, Max de Bie hit the post. But teammate Thierry Brinkman made sure his side were on the scoresheet just a minute later, skillfully controlling the ball in front of goal and firing it in for the equaliser. Brinkman was back in scoring action in the third quarter after a defensive slip by the Spanish, his reserve stick shot beating the keeper and taking his side 2-1 ahead.But Spain levelled matters within the first two minutes of the final quarter, Marc Miralles scoring off a penalty corner. The teams remained deadlocked on 2-2, however, taking the match into a shoot-out which the Dutch won 3-1.Australia beat Belgium on SO 3-2 (1-1)Amy Lawton played the ball into space in the circle and a reaching Stephanie Kershaw provided the finish to take her side 1-0 up.After numerous opportunities to score, Belgium finally found the breakthrough off a penalty corner in the second quarter, Stephanie Vanden Borre firing it into the bottom right corner.After a breathless encounter, Australia were awarded a penalty stroke in the final five minutes of the match, but Claire Colwell didn’t get hold of it and Elena Sotgiu made an easy save. That meant the sides were deadlocked at 1-1 by the final hooter, taking the match into yet another shoot-out. After a see-saw series of attempts, the Aussies claimed the 3-2 win.Germany beat Great Britain 4-1Jette Fleschütz’s great solo effort led to the Germans doubling their lead just a few minutes later. A GB counterattack in the second quarter then saw Elena Rayer running three quarters of the length of the pitch to slot in a reserve stick strike and open the home team’s account.Viktoria Huse’s shot off a penalty corner hit the GB keeper’s foot as it popped up into goal for Germany’s third at the start of the second half.GB took off their keeper to push for more goals in the dying minutes of the match, but the Germans capitalised, Pauline Heinz slotting in their fourth from an acute angle to seal the 4-1 win.Lee Valley Tennis and Hockey Centre, London (GBR)Result: Men’s Match 55: Netherlands beat Spain on SO 3-1 (2-2)Player of the Game: Jasper Brinkman (NED)Umpires: Tyler Klenk (CAN), Alison Keogh (IRL), Céline Martin-Schmets (BEL-video)Result: Women’s Match 55: Germany beat Great Britain 4-1Player of the Game: Jette Fleschütz (GER)Umpires: German Montes de Oca (ARG), Céline Martin-Schmets (BEL), Alison Keogh (IRL-video)Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein - Antwerp (BEL)Result: Men’s Match 56: Argentina beat New Zealand 4-2 on SO (2-2)Player of the Game: Nicolas Keenan (ARG)Umpires: Coen van Bunge (NED), Xiaoying Liu (CHN), Martin Madden (SCO-video)Result: Women’s Match 56: Australia beat Belgium on SO 3-2 (1-1)Player of the Game: Amy Lawton (AUS)Umpires: Annelize Rostron (RSA), Michelle Meister (GER), Martin Madden (SCO-video)

Lausanne-Switzerland (Sports Bulletin Report):-The Dutch women had to dig deep to earn their 4-2 victory after a brave performance by China as FIH Hockey Pro League action continued in Eindhoven. Later in the evening, the Netherlands men did well to rally back from their worst ever home defeat a day earlier at the hands of Australia to beat India 3-2.(Women’s) Netherlands beat China (4-2)China found some attacking form at the start of the second quarter, however. An excellent penalty corner variation culminated in He Jiangxin deflecting in for a surprise 1-0 lead. But it took only 30 seconds for the Dutch to find the equaliser which was set up by Felice Albers down the right-hand side. The impressive Albers crossed the ball in for Pien Dicke to slot it in to get the home side back on level terms.The Chinese found their second goal in the third quarter. A loose pass out by a Dutch defender went straight to Zou Meirong on the edge of the D who then drilled it in from the right. But the Dutch were back in front by the end of the quarter after China conceded a penalty stroke, with Frédérique Matla finding the back of the net despite Ping going the right way.(Men’s) Netherlands beat India (3-2) Looking for redemption after their heavy loss to Australia a day earlier, the Netherlands were first to score. Sheldon Schouten hit an attacking ball into the circle which found its way through traffic to Duco Telgenkamp to tap it in from the back post.Ten minutes into the third quarter, a fantastic pass from Luke Dommershuijzen to a perfectly placed Boris Burkhardt gave the Dutchman plenty of time to blast it into goal.Another Dutch penalty corner was then saved, but from the ensuing play, Joep de Mol injected the ball back in for Tjep Hoedemakers to produce the faintest of touches and deflect in through the keeper’s legs for the home side to take a 3-1 advantage into the final break.Just 21 seconds into the final quarter a defensive error by the Dutch on their left flank saw Sujit turning over the ball. That allowed Lalit Upadhyay the opportunity to cross it to an unmarked Gurjant Singh who ran into the circle and hit a cracking reverse stick shot past the keeper’s left foot.There was plenty more action in the remaining minutes of the match but the score remained at 3-2, much to the relief of the home side.Result: Women’s Match 46Netherlands 4-2 ChinaPlayer of the Game: Felice Albers (NED)Umpires: Laurine Delforge (BEL), Sarah Wilson (SCO), Céline Martin-Schmets (BEL-video)Result: Men’s Match 46Netherlands 3-2 IndiaPlayer of the Game: Joep de Mol (NED)Umpires: Ben Goentgen (GER), Hannah Harrison (ENG), Laurine Delforge (BEL-video)

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): The Netherlands women marked their return to international hockey with a dominant 4-0 victory against China as FIH Hockey Pro League action headed to Eindhoven, so extending their unbeaten record in the tournament so far. It was a night for the debutants in the Netherlands men’s team, three of them scoring in their team’s 4-1 victory over India.Netherlands beat China (4-0):China started stronger than they had in any of their matches at the mini-tournament in London, but conceding two early goals meant they never stood much of a chance against the world and Olympic champions.The first attacking move for the Dutch was initiated by Felice Albers who found Yibbi Jansen in the circle. Jansen then played it back for Albers to fire it in for the 1-0 lead. The Dutch were back on attack soon after with Luna Fokke crossing the ball in from the left side. In trying to stop the ball, Tan Jinzhuang only succeeded in turning it into her own goal to double the Dutch lead.China had their best chance of the game in the second quarter when Zou Meirong found herself one-on-one with Anne Veenendaal. But her scooped effort over the keeper’s head went wide of goal and the score remained 2-0 to the Netherlands at half time.China earned their first penalty corner of the match soon after, but the resulting shot hit the crossbar. The Dutch then went on the counterattack and a goalmouth scramble ended with Chinese keeper Liu Ping backhanding the ball in with her glove, the goal credited to the Netherlands’ Joosje Burg.Netherlands beat India (4-1):India were first to make an impression on the scoresheet when a shot from their second penalty corner hit the Dutch first wave on the shin and they were awarded a penalty stroke. Harmanpreet Singh powered it into the bottom left for a 1-0 lead.That lead lasted until the first break. But the Netherlands found the equaliser at the start of the second quarter when Joep de Mol threw an overhead across the circle to Pepijn Reyenga making it difficult for the Indian defence to prevent the 21-year-old from drilling it in for his first international goal.The Netherlands were awarded a penalty corner with five minutes left in the third quarter. An exquisite drag flick from another debutant, Boris Burkhardt, into the top left of goal took the score to 2-1.Less than a minute later the Netherlands took a quick free hit after turning over possession near the halfway line. Reyenga took the ball into the circle and found Bijen Koen on the baseline who played it across the goalmouth where the Indian defence failed to clear and it fell for yet another debutant, Duco Telgenkamp, to flick it in from the back post.There was more to come from the Dutch, a solo reverse stick effort from Telgenkamp once again finding the back of the net. India had the chance to get one back when they were awarded another penalty stroke in the dying seconds, but Pirmin Blaak made the save to seal the 4-1 victory.

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland):-India overcame Great Britain 4-2 on a penalty shoot-out after playing a 4-4 draw regular time of 60 minutes. Later in the day, the Belgian women continued their journey on a royal road in the mini-tournament, claiming a comfortable 3-1 victory over China.India beat Great Britain 4-4 (SO: 4-2) India got the first penalty corner and Captain Harmanpreet Singh made the most of it, dragging it into the left corner to take the lead 1-0 in a vital encounter, as the opposite side responded almost immediately, earning a penalty corner just 25 seconds later. Sam Ward’s drag flick caught a small deflection off the edge of Amit Rohidas’s stick for the equaliser.With just over five minutes to go in the third quarter, Ward made sure that GB stayed in touch with his 100th international goal. This time, Pathak just couldn’t get enough stick on Ward’s strike from the penalty corner. An action-packed final quarter saw Ward completing his hat-trick with a field goal, so finding the equaliser for GB at 3-3. India then regained the lead five minutes later, Dilpreet Singh, Vivek Prasad and Abishek combining to put their team in front. But another beautiful strike from Ward for his first four-goal haul in GB colours took the match to a shootout. Rupert Shipperley and Phil Roper missed their chances while the Indians slotted in all of theirs to take the 4-2 win.Belgium beat China women (3-1):Belgium took the lead in the first quarter when Charlotte Engelbert’s dink into the circle on the reverse was fired into the bottom left corner by Justine Rasir. The Belgians doubled that lead in the second quarter. Having turned it over on the 23, Barbara Nelen drove it into the circle for a well-taken strike by Emily White.Belgium still held that 2-0 lead heading into the half-time break but knew not to take anything for granted after seeing the Chinese fighting their way back from 3-1 down and pushing GB all the way a day earlier.But a great comeback was not on the cards for the Chinese. The first time Belgian goalkeeper Elodie Picard was brought into action was towards the end of the third quarter, but she was up to the task to keep Zou Meirong’s shot out of goal. A much better final quarter from China saw them playing themselves back into the game. The ball was recycled off a good penalty corner variation and fell to Liu Chencheng who drilled it in to halve the deficit.After the goal, China immediately pulled off their keeper to push for an equaliser with an extra player. But it cost them when they conceded a penalty corner soon after and none of the defenders could stop Stephanie Vanden Borre’s drag into the top of the goal to seal the 3-1 win.

Belgian women make a return with a 3-1 win over ChinaSports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland):-Great Britain’s 4-2 win over India’s men in an entertaining encounter took the hosts to the top of the Pro League table. In the women’s match of the day, Belgium enjoyed a return to international competition for the first time in six months with a 3-1 victory over China. (Men’s) Great Britain vs India 4-2It was GB who exerted the early pressure, creating plenty of scoring opportunities. Some individual excellence from Tim Nurse got the home side on the scoreboard – the 22-year-old working his way into the circle and then lifting it into the net for his first senior international goal.India earned the first penalty corner of the match and, as he has done so often in the Pro League, captain Harmanpreet Singh took care of business, a powerful drag flick producing the equaliser just before the end of the first quarter. An action-packed second period included a disallowed goal for India and a penalty stroke for GB which was saved by goalkeeper PR Sreejesh to ensure the teams went into the halftime break at 1-1.GB were awarded their first penalty corner at the start of the second half. Nicholas Bandurak’s initial shot was saved, but the ball popped out to Tom Sorsby on the penalty spot who bunted it in for his first senior international goal and the 2-1 lead.Some individual brilliance from Lee Morton produced GB’s third goal of the match soon after. The Scotsman worked his way into the circle and fired it in from an acute angle.Harmanpreet was on target again for India at the end of the third quarter with another powerful drag off a penalty corner. That took him to the top of the all-time Pro League scorers list with 35 goals. With just over six minutes to go in the match, GB were back on the attack. James Oates’ shot from open play was saved, but goalkeeper Sreejesh gloved it straight to Bandurak who spectacularly swatted it in for the 4-2 victory.(Women’s) Belgium vs China 3-1The Belgians opened the scoring off their second penalty corner of the match. Vanessa Blockmans’ shot was not particularly powerful but still managed to beat Chinese goalkeeper Jiao Ye, travelling through her legs and into the goal to hand the Belgians the lead. That was a first senior international goal for the 20-year-old.There was another first senior goal in Belgian colours, this time for Emily White. Blockmans’ shot from a penalty corner was saved but White picked up the ball on the edge of the D and fired it in, catching the edge of the keeper’s stick on its way. White was taken down in the circle a few minutes later resulting in a penalty stroke for Belgium, but Stephanie Vanden Borre’s shot went wide of goal.Hong Li then came close to finding China’s opener at the end of the half. But after beating the Belgian defence, her shot hit the post and the score remained 2-0 at halftime.Michelle Struijk’s heavy tackle on Ying Zhang saw China awarded a penalty stroke with just under four minutes left in the third quarter. Bingfeng Gu made no mistake in finding the back of the net to close the gap to 2-1.The Belgians restored their two-goal lead at the start of the final period, however. Camille Belis’s pass found Louise Versavel in front of goal and she slotted it in to seal the 3-1 victory.

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): The penultimate day of FIH Hockey Pro League action from Christchurch saw Great Britain women and men face off against New Zealand and Australia respectively. It was the women’s teams going head-to-head first with Great Britain dominating the hosts, winning 6-1. The men’s match was an end-to-end affair, with the teams tied at 3-3 at full time. Australia won the ensuing shoot-out and took the bonus point from the encounter. (Women’s) Great Britain beat New Zealand 6-1 Great Britain scored 63 seconds into the game with Petter getting on the end of a cross from Crackles from the left. 3 minutes later it was 2-0, as this time it was a powerful shot from the right by Tessa Howard that was smartly deflected in by Darcy Bourne on the far post. The second quarter was much of the same with New Zealand struggling to get out of their own defence against the high press by Great Britain. GB added a third with Grace Balsdon sending her drag flick from a penalty corner perfectly into the top right corner. The home team pulled one goal back from their first penalty corner of the game as Cotter found the bottom right corner of the goal with a low driven shot. Second half produced a more even battle as New Zealand gained confidence from their late first half goal and started to string passes together, playing out of the back against the high press by GB. Great Britain however survived the phase of play and regained control of the game in the final quarter. Tessa Howard scored early in the final quarter, getting on the end of a cross by Owsley, restoring the visitors’ 3-goal lead. Hannah Martin added a fifth goal, deflecting a flick by Balsdon from Great Britain’s sixth penalty corner of the game. The visitors hit a sixth goal in the final minute with Giselle Ansley scoring her second of the mini-tournament from a penalty corner. (Men’s) Great Britain vs Australia 3-3 (SO: 2-4) Australia were all over Great Britain in the first quarter, employing a high and intense press inside their 25. They turned the ball over multiple times and dominated possession. They made all their pressure count, opening the scoring through a Joel Rintala drag flick off the first penalty corner of the game. Great Britain managed to get on level terms in the second quarter as Sam Ward was left completely open in the circle on a free hit and his deflection lifted the ball over Charter and into the goal. Midway through the third quarter James Mazarelo made one of the saves of the season, lunging to his right to stop a shot by Sharp that looked destined to ruffle the net. Great Britain went into attack on the other end and won a penalty corner that Zach Wallace converted to complete a remarkable turnaround. Australia were back on level terms early in the final quarter with Rintala’s cross from the left deflected into the goal inadvertently by David Ames. Australia won a penalty stroke midway through the fourth but Payne went the right way to stop Ephraums shot and keep the scores level. Once again a great save brought a goal for Great Britain, as Rupert Shipperly scored from a penalty corner. Australia turned on pressure in the final minutes and found a goal as Zalewski was allowed to run into the circle and his shot towards the goal was deflected in by Joel Rintala for a second consecutive hat-trick. 

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): FIH Hockey Pro League rolled into action in Christchurch, New Zealand with Great Britain women taking on Australia, followed by men’s action between hosts New Zealand and Great Britain. It was two wins in two for the European team with the women earning their first points of the season with a narrow, but comfortable one-goal win over Hockeyroos, while the men’s team fired on all cylinders in attack to register an impressive 5-2 win over hosts New Zealand.(Women’s) Great Britain beat Australia (1-0):Great Britain were dominant in the first quarter, pressing Australia high up the field. They made the pressure count in the 13th minute with Giselle Ansley opening the scoring through her team’s third penalty corner, shooting low to the left of the keeper, piercing the gap between Aleisha Power and the post defender. Australia were dominant in the second quarter as Great Britain retreated in defence. However, the Hockeyroos couldn’t capitalise on all their possession, failing to properly test Miriam Pritchard in the goal as Great Britain held on to their slender lead going into the break. The third quarter was better balanced as Great Britain course corrected and started playing higher up the field. They created the better chances in the quarter but Bartram, in the goal for the second half, made a couple of routine saves. Australia won possession well in the midfield, but failed to create clear scoring opportunities from them. The final quarter followed a similar pattern as Great Britain dictated the pace of the game and created the better chances, but were denied by Bartram on a couple of occasions. Australia continued to struggle stringing passes together in the attacking half and failed to pose a real threat on the Great Britain goal and as the time ran out, Great Britain secured their first win of the season by the narrowest of margins. (Men’s) Great Britain beat New Zealand (5-2):Zach Wallace opened the scoring in the game with a phenomenal first time reverse volley on a high ball that had looped off a New Zealand stick in the 13th minute. The lead was well deserved for the visitors as they had dominated the proceedings in the opening quarter, but were denied on multiple occasions by George Enersen in the New Zealand goal. New Zealand looked for a quick comeback in the second quarter, but were denied by an incredible save by Mazarelo from a point blank range. James Oates and Will Calnan scored within seconds of each other, midway through the second quarter, to give the visitors a big 3-goal lead. New Zealand pulled one back in the 28th minute through a Dane Lett penalty corner goal, but Great Britain regained their 3-goal cushion through a Nick Bandurak volley goal from a quick counter attack that started with another terrific Mazarelo save. Great Britain increased their lead early in the third quarter with Jack Waller finding Shipperley unmarked at the right post and the Welsh forward made the easiest deflection to put the ball into the goal. New Zealand pressed for a route back into the game and with 10 minutes left in the game they scored their second through George Baker, whose shot from the top of the circle went through the legs of a couple of players and settled into the bottom left corner of the goal. The visitors managed the rest of the quarter, bossing possession and limiting counter-attacking opportunities for New Zealand to come away with all 3 points.

Sports Bulletin Report Sydney: The FIH Hockey Pro League returns on 10 February as Australia will host China and Germany in the women’s competition at Olympic Park Hockey Center in Sydney, to start off the second phase of the 2022/23 season. The men’s competition will resume on 28 February in Hobart with the Kookaburras hosting Argentina and Spain in the first mini-tournament following the conclusion of the men’s World Cup. Season recap (women’s) In the women’s competition, reigning champions Argentina currently sit at the top of the table having taken 14 points from their 8 games thus far. Argentina’s quest to defend their title faces great threat from Olympic and World Champions Netherlands, who have stayed perfect so far registering 4 wins in their 4 games to sit second in the table with 12 points. Belgium, Germany and Great Britain are the other 3 teams to have also played 4 matches so far this season. Belgium and Germany have both registered 5 points thus far, but the Red Panthers sit a spot above the Danas thanks to their superior goal difference. Great Britain are yet to register any points this season having lost all 4 of their contests, but have three quarters of the season left to make their climb up the table. With the mini-tournament starting in Australia on 10 February, Australia and China will play their first set of matches alongside Germany, who will be playing in their second mini-tournament. New Zealand will then host USA and China in Wellington, in a mini-tournament starting on 18 February, which will be the first set of matches for the hosts and the Americans, while China will be playing in their second mini-tournament. Season recap (men’s) In the men’s competition, positions 1 to 7 are separated by just 4 points, as the competition has been incredibly stiff so far. Great Britain hold the top spot with 9 points as they remain unbeaten in the competition, having won one match and drawing three, managing to win the bonus points in all three shoot-outs. India, Germany, Spain and Argentina all find themselves on 8 points, but Argentina have already played 8 matches, while India, Germany and Spain have played 4 matches each. Defending champions Netherlands currently find themselves in seventh place, having taken 5 points from their 4 games, one spot below season 3 runners-up Belgium, whose 2 wins and 2 losses sees them occupy the sixth place on 6 points. With the mini-tournament being played in Australia from 28 February to 5 March, the hosts will become the final team to play their first set of matches in the 2022/23 season, alongside Spain, who will be playing their second mini-tournament and Argentina, who will play their penultimate set of 4 matches. Following the conclusion of games in Australia, the action will shift to the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela where India will host Australia and world champions Germany, with all teams playing their second mini-tournaments.

Sports Bulletin Report Laussanne (Switzerland): A goal each from Freeke Moes and Yibbi Jansen in the opening half gave the Netherlands women the 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. The game marked the 100th international for Great Britain’s Amy Costello. Great Britain vs Netherlands (women & men) – Santiago del Estero, Argentina A lightened Netherlands women’s lineup faced off with Great Britain on neutral territory in Argentina and the Dutch came away with a 2-1 victory. The two teams last met at the 2020 Olympic Games semifinal and while in both encounters the Dutch, tonight it was credit to a resilient defensive unit back-stopped by Maddie Hinch and Sabbie Heesh, who split duties in the Great Britain net. It was a milestone game for 24-year-old Amy Costello who celebrated her 100th international cap that includes 67 games with Scotland, while Fiona Crackles celebrated her 50th split between England and Great Britain. In the opening quarter, a long run by Maria Verschoor led to two saves from Heesh, in goal for Great Britain, but Freeke Moes made good of the uncontested space and rebound to make it 1-0 for the Netherlands just eight minutes into the game. Against the flow Great Britain were able find an equalizer after a Sophie Hamilton shot was redirected by Isabelle Petter to catch Josine Koning caught on her line. It didn’t take long for the Dutch to regain control of the game as Yibbi Jansen’s class-act drag flick made it 2-1 in the 18th minute. Moes drew a third penalty corner late in the second quarter but the subbed-in Hinch denied Jansen’s flick and then a blast from Marente Barensten.  Great Britain had a chance to draw level after Hamilton found the foot of Dutch midfielder Barensten with seven seconds to go. The flick from Grace Balsdon was steered away by the glove of Koning to keep the game in favour of the Netherlands at half time. Hinch was called to duty a number of times in the fourth quarter but when Felice Albers’ pass found Mariyn Veen, it was a next level save to deny the Dutch. Moments later Hinch was helped by Giselle Ansley on the post who batted away another Jansen drag flick. In the men’s match up the first half seemed destined for a scoreless affair as both Great Britain and the Netherlands traded possession and chances. Zachary Wallace broke the deadlock for Great Britain in the 28th minute as he capitalized on a very quick free hit down the middle of the pitch. Wallace streaked right in to the circle and unleashed a back-hand shot that beat Pirmin Blaak low, glove side. With 15 seconds to go in the second quarter, Rupert Shipperley made quick work of his defender and fed Phil Roper, whose sliding touch made it 2-0 for Great Britain. The Dutch edged in possession in the first half but the third quarter showed a lot more possession strides for Great Britain. Late in the third quarter patient ball movement around the Dutch circle gave Jack Waller a blast at goal was brilliantly deflected by Sam Ward but stood up by Blaak. The second shot from Roper hit the foot of Jip Janssen on the line to give GB a penalty stroke. Wallace finished with class from the spot to secure the third and eventual final goal. “It was our first match as a team since the Tokyo Olympics and then for a lot of us since the Commonwealth Games,” said Great Britain’s Zacharay Wallace. “We didn’t really know where we were as a team so we have been training hard the last few months so it was nice to see whether all the hard work and training paid off.” FIH Pro League – 13 December 2022 Santiago del Estero, Argentina (ARG) Result: Women’s Match 7 Great Britain 1, Netherlands 2 Player of the Game: Xan de Waard (NED) Umpires: Laurine Delforge (BEL), Maggie Giddens (USA), Federico Garcia (URU-reserve), Ayanna McClean (TTO-video) Great Britain 3, Netherlands 0 Player of the Match: Zachary Wallace (GBR) Umpires: Federico Garcia (URU), Sean Rapaport (RSA), Ayanna McClean (TTO-reserve), Laurine Delforge (BEL-video)