 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 @ 02:37 PM by Roland Hatton 29/04/2008
Kookaburras defeat Korea and qualify for championship match
Kookaburras 3 Korea 2 (1-0 half time)
Goals – Aus Doerner 26m PC, Aus Smith 36m FG, Aus Orchard 43m FG, Kor Yeo 48m FG/ 56m FG
The Kookaburras have held off Korea to claim victory in the last round of the Perth 4 Nations Tournament to qualify for the tournament championship match tomorrow.
After some mixed results in previous matches the Kookaburras started the game the more active of the two teams to produce their best hockey for the tournament to date.
They controlled the majority of play to dominant time in possession of the ball while also looking much more active in attack.
However they were once again unable to convert their dominance into scoreboard pressure.
Eventually their efforts in the forward half was rewarded when penalty corner specialist Luke Doerner scored midway through the first half from a well executed penalty corner attempt.
While the Kookaburra forwards were well on top, their defence was equally impressive with goalkeeper Stephen Lambert never really tested as no penalty corner attempts were awarded to the Koreans in the first half.
Despite their dominance the Kookaburras couldn’t add to their lead throughout the remainder of the first half, taking only a one goal lead into the break.
It wasn’t long until this lead was doubled however as the Kookaburras scored within the first play of action during the second half via an Andrew Smith field goal.
The domination of the Kookaburras continued throughout the second half, inflicting more pain to the Korean side as young gun Simon Orchard scored his first goal of the tournament following a smart pass from Mark Knowles at the top of the circle.
However Korea were soon able to make the scoreboard seem a bit more respectable, scoring their first goal at the 48 minute mark to give them some chance of remaining in the game with plenty of time still remaining on the clock.
With momentum now on their side the Korean team continued to pressure the Kookaburras defence as they searched for a way to bring themselves back into the contest.
Despite the best efforts of the Kookaburras defence it wasn’t long until the Koreans succeeded, finding the back of the net at the 56 minute mark from a penalty corner attempt to bring the score back to 3-2.
With neither team able to gain control in the dying minutes it seemed as though the Kookaburras would maintain their lead and claim the victory. However when Korea was awarded a penalty corner attempt with only seconds remaining, the likelihood of a draw seemed a real possibility.
This story is adirect copy from the Hockey Australia Web site |