Great Britain register first pool win

Match Review AUS - GBR 0-1

Watch clips from the Australia - Great Britain gam…Posted December 8, 2015

It was a game that Great Britain needed to win if they were to avoid the ignomy of a fourth place finish in their pool, and team stalwart Helen Richardson-Walsh duly answered the call. For number two in the world Australia, it was the chance to cement top spot in the pool and grow the confidence that three wins from three can provide.

This was also the first appearance of Crista Cullen in a Great Britain shirt at a top international event since the Olympics.

Australia started the brighter. They were faster to the ball and their high press kept the Great Britain team contained for the first period of play. When they attacked, Georgia Nanscawen and Emily Smith always looked a potent strike force.

The momentum in the game changed as Cullen and captain Kate Richardson-Walsh laid a solid defensive base and the remainder of the team played with increasing levels of confidence. But, just as the Great Britain defence was holding strong, so too was the Hockeyroo unit of Jodie Kenny and Kirsten Dwyer and despite their best efforts Alex Danson and her fellow forwards were unable to make a breakthrough.

The first penalty corner of the game was won by Georgia Nanscawen, but the Great Britain defence were able to chase it down and clear. Susannah Townsend was playing her usual high energy game for Great Britain and gradually her team began to join her in moving forwards at pace. This caused the Australia team to sit back a little more and so Great Britain began to create better scoring opportunities.

The first goal mouth action of the second quarter came from the industrious Mariah Williams. She had been working increasingly effectively as the half progressed and her sharp turn and shot was a move of pure class. It was Williams who won Australia's second penalty corner. Jodie Kenny hit it on the bounce but Maddie Hinch in the Great Britain goal was up to the challenge. The loose rebound was scuffed and Great Britain were able to clear.

Great Britain continued to probe and search for a way through and this tenacity was rewarded when Helen Richardson-Walsh (26') deflected a shot from Alex Danson to score her second goal of the tournament.

The wealth of experience within the Great Britain team showed to a far greater extent in this game, particularly in the way they weathered an Intense period of pressure from the Hockeyroos in the last minute of the half.

The second half saw Great Britain playing with greater confidence. A quick break from Townsend, led to Lily Owsley finding herself with one defender to beat. Her speed got her into circle but the subsequent shot was wide. A series of penalty corners to Great Britain were chased down quite magnificently by Edwina Bone to deny Cullen a chance to cement her return, but Cullen's greatest role in this performance was to marshall the Great Britain defence and keep the Hockeyroos at bay.

With five minutes left, Alex Danson showed her class with a great take and shot, but 'keeper Lynch was quick to react. A four minute spell of Australian pressure meant that Great Britain had to dig deep but good front running by Hannah Macleod in particular kept the opposition's heads down and contained their attack.

Kate Richardson-Walsh said: "We played with a lot more belief. We tried to do the same things in the first game but it just wasn't clicking. Today we got the passes going and it clicked. We have a pretty explosive side going forward and really skilful players and we had to get that clicking."

Goals

Team	Minute	Shirt #	Player	Action	Score
GBR	26	8	RICHARDSON-WALSH Helen	PC	0 - 1

Cards

Team	Minute	Shirt #	Player	Type
AUS	48	17	MORGAN Georgina	G
GBR	60	4	UNSWORTH Laura	Y

AUS

Minute	Shirt #	Name	Green
5	1	NANCE Gabrielle
X	2	NANSCAWEN Georgia
3	3	PERIS Brooke
16	5	WELLS Ashlee
X	6	DWYER Kirstin
X	7	KENNY Jodie
3	8	NELSON Ashleigh
6	10	FITZPATRICK Madison
X	11	McMAHON Karri
X	12	BLYTH Madonna
5	13	BONE Edwina
X	17	MORGAN Georgina	1
X	18	CLAXTON Jane
X	20	SLATTERY Kathryn
11	21	TAYLOR Renee
X	24	WILLIAMS Mariah
X	26	SMITH Emily
X	27	LYNCH Rachael

GBR

Minute	Shirt #	Name	Goals	Yellow
X	1	HINCH Maddie
Bench	2	MACKAY Kirsty
6	3	MAGUIRE Emily
X	4	UNSWORTH Laura		1
X	6	MACLEOD Hannah
7	7	TWIGG Georgie
X	8	RICHARDSON-WALSH Helen	1
X	9	TOWNSEND Susannah
X	11	RICHARDSON-WALSH Kate
X	13	QUEK Sam
5	14	LEIGH Joie
X	15	DANSON Alex
X	20	WEBB Hollie
X	21	WATTON Ellie
6	22	BALL Ashleigh
5	26	OWSLEY Lily
6	28	WHITE Nicola
X	32	CULLEN Crista

DNP = Did not participate
S = Suspended
DSQ = Disqualified

Match Officials

Role	Official
Umpire 1	IPARRAGUIRRE Soledad
Umpire 2	UNKA Aleesha
Reserve Umpire	GIDDENS Maggie
Video Umpire	JOUBERT Michelle
Judge 1	TAKEDA Alicia
Judge 2	PIGRETTI Laura
Technical Officer	SHIN Jung Hee

Pool A

Pool B

AUS V GBR ( Pool B ) Hockey World League Final Rosario 2015