25 Jun 2015

Black Sticks beat India

11:44 am on 25 June 2015

The New Zealand women's hockey team has beaten India 5-0 in their latest game at the World League semi-final tournament in Belgium.

It follows their 12-nil win over Poland in their opening game.

The Black Sticks managed to repeatedly turnover the ball and turn it into attack which resulted in 31 goal attempts.

Black Sticks striker Kirsten Pearce

Black Sticks striker Kirsten Pearce Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Midfielder Gemma Flynn who had a four goal haul in the opening match, bagged another two and was a stand-out player in today's game.

But both Flynn and coach Mark Hager agree the basics need to be improved if they are to get more wins in the tougher matches ahead.

Hager says they're under no illusion, they are probably not going to get as many chances as they have in the last two games, so whatever chances they do get against Belgium and Australia, they need to finish them off and be really clinical.

Hager says they'll watch Belgium play Australia tomorrow and that will give them a chance to see both teams in action, but in the end they will just concetrate on ourselves and getting our own structures and patterns correct.

Flynn got the scoring underway in the 10th minute, picking up a high rebound from the keeper and batting it into the goal.

Early on in the second quarter, the Indian keeper was forced to make a save and lying on the ground with the ball at her feet, Canterbury's Olivia Merry stepped over the keeper and tapped it across the line.

Merry almost got a double in the third quarter but her attempt bounced off the post and Flynn once again swooped in to make it count.

Flynn's impact on the game continued when she passed to Kirsten Pearce who fired it into the goal in the 52nd minute to give the Kiwis a 4-0 lead.

The opportunities kept coming for the Black Sticks in the fourth quarter. It was a piece of brilliance from Pearce, who moving away from the goal and at the top of the circle, turned and with a reverse stick shot and pin-point accuracy made it 5-0.

It was Canterbury's midfielder Jordan Grant's 50th international test match today.

The Black Sticks next clash is against Australia on Friday morning.

A top four finish at the World League Semi-Final will earn the Kiwis a spot at the World League Final at the end of the year, while the tournament also doubles as an opportunity to qualify for Rio with a top three placing securing an automatic berth.

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