WCT: Hockeyroos lose again
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| Australia |
November 7, 2004 
Advertiser, Australia
> Page Views 380
Australia 1 Netherlands 2
A SECOND loss has all but ended the Hockeyroos' hopes of reaching Sunday's final of the Champions Trophy women's hockey tournament in Rosario, Argentina.
Beaten 1-0 by Germany in their first match, the rebuilding Australian squad squandered an early lead to lose to the Netherlands today.
But coach David Bell said he was happy that his young team had shown improvement.
"We played well enough to deserve a point out of today's game," said Bell.
"I'm disappointed that we had a couple of opportunities for the draw with deflections across the face of goal and didn't convert."
"It takes time to develop combinations and at the moment were being let down by turnovers which are being created by people not knowing the style that others play and where they want the ball.
"That often takes teams four or five years to develop."
Bell praised the individual efforts of some of his new players.
"I was encouraged by the performance of Teneal Attard in her first game and I think she had a fair bit of composure on the right side.
"Ursula Ditton, again, was very good."
Suzie Faulkner was rewarded for hard work in attack when she scored from a penalty corner she'd earned after 10 minutes to put Australia ahead.
The Australian penalty corner defence protested that the first Dutch goal, scored nine minutes after halftime, was illegally put into the net by Chantal de Bruijn.
The winner came in the 59th minute when the ball was turned over to the Dutch and Maartje Scheepstra scored from the resulting attack.
The Hockeyroos next match is against Argentina on Wednesday.
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