New Zealand on top against Japan
- Russell McKinnon (FINA)
- Apr 30, 2015
- 2 min read
Quarters: 0-1, 1-2, 1-1, 2-4
Extra Man: JPN: 2/8. NZL: 2/8. Pens: NZL: 1/1.
NEW ZEALAND: Brooke Millar, Nicole Lewis (1), Kelly Mason, Hannah Klein, Simone Lewis, Sarah Landry, Miranda Chase (1), Ricci Ferigo, Emma Stoneman, Liana Dance (1), Kirsten Hudson (3), Jasmine Myles (2), Katherine Curnow. Head Coach: Attila Biro.
Sarah Landry all smiles during the line-up
Match report:
New Zealand won its first match of the tournament with a lead-from-the-front 8-4 victory to take third place in the group.
It was Kirsten Hudson who commanded the scoring in the first half, opening with a short drive at 5:55 in the first quarter. She nailed the second and third goals of the match in the first three minutes of the second quarter, one from the penalty line and the other with a deft five-metre lob for 3-0.
Brooke Millar provided another outstanding performance for the Kiwis
Japanese captain Tsubasa Mori raised her flag for a halftime deficit of two. That was narrowed to one early in the third as Yuri Kazama scored on counter on the deep left. On the next attack, New Zealand moved back to two goals ahead through Simone Lewis after a cross pass from the right to the far post.
The next goal came nearly seven minutes later on the first attack of the fourth period through youngster Liane Dance at centre forward. The celebrations were muted soon after as Japan struck twice from the deep left through Moe Nakata and Kana Hosoya with nearly six minutes remaining.
Jasmine Myles lifted the roof above the packed stand with a long shot for 6-4 at 5:17. After a timeout, Myles fired in another missile and then Miranda Chase scored her first goal of the tournament with 10 seconds left. The Kiwis can thank goalkeeper Brooke Millar for a standout performance, with a host of important blocks.
New Zealand will meet China in their quarterfinal at 7:30pm tomorrow
Flash quotes
Attila Biro (NZL) — Head Coach “I’m happy about the result, they deserved to win. It was all about having discipline and that’s what I wanted. Defence was perfect and was the key to this game.”
Kelly Mason (NZL) – Captain “Awesome. Brooke Millar played so well. We were all excited before the game; we weren’t going to lose; it was that kind of feeling. The girls played amazing.”
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