
The Hockeyroos
completed its sweep of Pool A with a clear cut 4-0 win over Wales at the
Champions Challenge in Ireland.
Billed as a
David vs. Goliath match-up with the sixth-ranked, undefeated Hockeyroos up against
the 27th-ranked Welsh, Australia proved too good, with three second half goals overwhelming
their gutsy opponents.
It looked
early on like Australia would romp the Welsh when they scored on their first
trip down the field just 45 seconds into action. Emily Hurtz netted the goal
and ended up with a hat trick in the win. Australia was awarded another handful
of penalty corner chances, but they were well-defended by Wales and the Aussies
had to settle for a slim 1-0 lead at the break.
The Hockeyroos
doubled their lead when Anna Flanagan crossed a perfect pass to the waiting
Emily Smith three minutes into the second half. The scoreboard stayed stuck at
2-0 until the last two minutes of play when Hurtz sprung into action with a
pair of goals coming just over a minute apart, including a penalty corner
marker at the buzzer to bring the final to 4-0.
Australia entered
the Champions Challenge on a mission to get back to the Champions Trophy , and
so far everything has gone according plan as they are undefeated in pool play
with a goal difference of +14 and will face the lowest-ranked team from Pool B
in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
WAIS-AIS duo
Kobie McGurk and Fiona Boyce both represented the Australians in the match.
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