Maddie Hinch was the hero for Great Britain as they won the Olympic Games women’s hockey tournament by beating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout.
Advertisement
Hinch made a string of fine saves in normal time as the match ended 3-3, before excelling in the shoot-out as the Dutch failed to register a single score.
Kiwi captain Kayla Whitelock gave away a penalty stroke for a foul on Helen Richardson-Walsh and subsequently received a yellow card five minute suspension before the felled Richardson-Walsh picked herself up to double the advantage from the penalty spot.
Immediately into the second quarter, Kitty Van Male chipped a shot past Hinch to even the score.
Crista Cullen punished terrible keeping at the other end to make it 2-2.
After Helen Richardson-Walsh’s penalty stroke, Hinch took care of business in the goal.
The early exchanges were predictably cagey, with a scrappy opening quarter producing few clear-cut chances, but Britain broke the deadlock seven minutes before half-time.
Going behind seemed to spark New Zealand and in the second part of the quarter they consistently threatened the Great Britain circle. The gold is Great Britain’s third Olympic medal in the sport, with the first bronze being won in 1992 in Barcelona.
Richardson-Walsh made history by winning gold in the same team as her wife Helen Richardson-Walsh, who scored in the shootout, which made victory all the sweeter. I just give myself a game plan for each player and I go out and execute that.
“I didn’t know if I’d get back in the team or the squad”.
Van Male scored again on a deflection on a penalty corner midway through the third period, then White scored to force the shootout. “We’ve shown that if you do that and if you keep on doing it then it will come true”.
She said: “I just tried to block everything out and just think, this is just at Bisham (Abbey), I’m just practising. They are a fantastic side”. They have gone through this tournament undefeated, and hope to stay on top with a gold medal to their names. “I’m really pleased with my performance”. “It feels like we’re in a dream”, she said. “I’m just so proud of all the girls that played tonight”, Webb said. “We’ve been through ups and downs”, Kate added.
“Our expectation coming here was a gold medal”.
Advertisement
A commanding defensive display was central to GB’s semi-final win, as centre-backs Kate Richardson-Walsh and Laura Unsworth, ably supported by full-backs Cullen and Sam Quek and substitutes Hollie Webb and Giselle Ansley, prevented New Zealand from creating many clear-cut chances. We’ve beaten a very, very good side pretty convincingly and we’ve got one more game.
