Scoreless first half puts Kiwis on back-foot against Kazakhstan
- nzwaterpolo
- Jul 30, 2015
- 1 min read
It was heartbreak for New Zealand in the early hours of Friday morning (NZT) as their last shot at a quarterfinals berth slipped away from them.
(3:0, 4:0, 4:1, 3:3)
Kazakhstan took the third spot in Group A with a 14-4 win over New Zealand in the first match of the evening session in Kazan (2:30am Friday morning NZT).
Sarah Landry looks for a pass against Kazakhstan on Thursday evening in Kazan (photo: Waterpolo-World)
The Kazakhstan women held New Zealand scoreless for the entire first half while on offence running away quickly. The Kiwis struggled to contain Kazakhstan's Aizhan Akilbayeva who finished with a total of 6 goals.
It was a case of too little too late when the Kiwis awoke in the final quarter, and suddenly got themselves a couple of goals too. Danielle Lewis caught fire for a minute or two eventually scoring 3 of New Zealand's 4 goals, but the winner by then was already determined.
Two wins from now will mean New Zealand retain their 13th world ranking (photo Waterpolo-World)
Kazakhstan will now await the Netherlands for a shot at the quarterfinals. For New Zealand, a match-up with the bottom ranked side from group B - South Africa - will be the next step on Saturday.
New Zealand's objective now is to retain their 13th world ranking by beating South Africa on Saturday (7:50pm NZT) to make the 13th/14th playoff.
Meanwhile, Italy, Spain, Australia, and Kazan 2015 hosts Russia have solidifed their places in the quarter-finals by placing on top of each group.
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