JWC: FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023: England comes from 2-0 down to win 2-5

Lausanne, Switzerland: Day 3 of the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023 was filled in with some action-packed matches. While Spain and Argentina got easy wins, Japan and England came from behind to win their respective matches.

Let’s take a look at the matches as they happened on the third day of the World Cup at Chile!

Spain vs Zimbabwe (Full-Time Score: 8-0)

Spain set the pitch ablaze with a big victory against Zimbabwe in the first match of Day 3. Having lost to Argentina earlier in their first match of the competition, Spain looked aggressive and dominant right from the start of this match.

They didn’t give any time for Zimbabwe to settle and kept on scoring goals. It was a goal fest as they scored eight past the Zimbabwean side that looked clueless. Teresa Lima was the star for Spain scoring a hat-trick.

“In our last game against Argentina, we played extremely well but the result didn’t go in our favour. Hence, it was extremely important for us to win this game today by a big margin. We would like to keep this momentum going throughout the tournament,” said Lima after the match.

New Zealand vs Japan (Full-Time Score: 1-2)

In the second match, the tension was palpable as Japan and New Zealand battled fiercely for the three points. It was a nail-biter, with tension soaring high in both the dugouts till the 60^th minute.

While New Zealand took the lead in the 19^th minute via a Penalty Stroke conversion from Tessa Reid, it was Japan who showed their class in the third quarter scoring two goals within a span of seven minutes to take the lead. At the end, it was New Zealand who had to go home without a point.

Player of the Match Natshumi Oshima who played a crucial role in the midfield for Japan, said, “It was a very tough game for both the teams. We played our usual game and focused more on pressing the opponents, and probably that is why we were able to succeed.”

United States vs England (Full-Time Score: 2-5)

It was a cracker of a match as England came back from 2-0 down to win it 2-5. It was Claudia Swain who opened up the scoring for England in the 27^th minute and then they went on to score four more goals in the second half.

With this win, England went to the top of Pool D with six points from two matches, while United States are at the third spot with one win and a loss.

Player of the Match Alice Atkinson said that, “I am proud of the team and the resilience we showed even after being down by 2 goals. We will play with the same kind of energy in our last league match against Japan.”

Korea vs Argentina (Full-Time Score: 0-3)

The last match of the day was a one-sided affair as Argentina blanked Korea by 3-0. The Argentinians were always in control from the first minute of the match with Daiana Pacheco opening the scoring via a Penalty Corner in the 17^th minute, with Paula Santamarina doubling up the lead in the 41^st minute.

While Korea entered the Argentinian circle quite a few times, they were denied any goals. Captain Valentina Raposo scored the third and the last goal to take Argentina to the top of Pool B.

“We are happy with how we played today. The team has been in good shape and we have been able to play according to our plans”, said skipper Valentina Raposo, who has been the star for them in this World Cup.

To see the current pool standings after Day 3, click here.

To see the full match schedule, click here.

FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup Chile 2023 – 01 December 2023

Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped, Estadio Nacional

Result: Match 13

Spain 8-0 Zimbabwe

Player of the Match: Teresa Lima (ESP)

Umpires: Veronica Villafane (ARG) and Katrina Turner (NZL)

Result: Match 14

New Zealand 1-2 Japan

Player of the Match: Natsumi Oshima

Umpires: Melissa Taylor (RSA) and Victoria Pazos (PAR)