AfHF Roadmap 2022-2023 rev. 6 June 2022-compressed

April 12 2022 Potchefstroom, South Africa: The Netherlands were crowned FIH Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup champions after a final against Germany that absolutely oozed class. The question had been whether anyone could breach the Dutch defence and, if that happened, how would the team respond. Both questions were answered as Germany threw everything at the Netherlands and were rewarded by being the only team to score against the team in orange. However, this will always be remembered as the event where the Netherlands were the dominant force from start to finish and, even when under huge pressure from their European rivals, there was no way the excellent Rosa Fernig and her team were going to let any other team steal their thunder. Where Germany probed, Netherlands stood strong and, when the opportunity to score presented itself, they did so. The game management in the final minutes was as outstanding as every other aspect of their play. England and India provided a dramatic spectacle as they battled for the bronze medal. India looked to be heading for third place as they took a 2-1 lead in the final quarter but England removed their goalkeeper and scored a last minute goal to send the game to shoot-out. The England team then put in a faultless performance in the pressure pot of a shoot-out and won their first medal at a Women’s Junior World Cup. Earlier in the day, host nation South Africa and USA played out an exciting and momentum-switching match that saw the host nation take a 3-0 lead only to see the perseverance of the USA bring the scores back to 3-2 leading to a very nervous final five minutes. Much to the delight of the home fans, South Africa clung to the lead to finish in seventh place. Argentina finished their campaign in fifth position and their victory over Korea was an exhibition of compelling, ruthless attacking hockey that left their opponents shellshocked in the face of a goalscoring onslaught. With 202 goals, some amazing performances, quite brilliant umpiring, a fantastic venue and a very worthy champion there is little doubt that the ninth edition of the FIH Women’s Junior World Cup was a roaring success and the performances by these young players promise that international hockey has a very bright future. USA 2-3 South Africa  (7-8th place) – Potchefstroom, North West University (RSA) Early pressure from South Africa saw the host nation earn a penalty corner in the opening minutes of the match. Seconds later USA striker Hope Rose was firing at the South African goal after a swift counter-attack. All the signs were there that this was going to be a great 60 minutes of hockey in the opening match on finals day. South Africa took the lead through Bianca Wood. The forward hadn’t really found her groove during this tournament but when she latched onto a Kayla de Vaal cross and fired home, we saw a glimpse of the South African’s skill and strength. The host nation doubled their lead in the 12th minute when Jean-Leigh du Toit was able to show her ability from the top of the circle. Her drag-flick gave Annabel Skubisz no chance of making a save. Despite being 2-0 down, the USA were far from out of this game. The dangerous trio of Charlotte de Vries, Ashley Sessa and Hope Rose always looked capable of creating chances when they went on the attack. It was vitally important for USA to get on the score-card if they were to challenge for the seventh place but early in the second half South Africa spoiled that ambition with their third goal of the match. Tamla Kock created the goal with a lovely jinking move past the USA defenders, before she hit the ball across the circle. Mikkela le Roux got the final touch, which tipped the ball past Skubisz. A three-goal cushion allowed South Africa to play with far more freedom than their opponents in the early stages of the second half. The team in green were running with the ball confidently and playing with real enjoyment. All that changed in the 38th minute when Josie Varney won the ball in midfield and dashed to the South African circle. Her reverse stick shot wrong-footed Mishka Ellis and suddenly USA were back in the game. USA’s second goal came from the quick reactions of Abigail Tamer. The USA built patiently up their right-hand side of the pitch and the ball eventually pinged loose in the South African circle. Tamer pounced and the ball squeezed past Amelie Claasen in the South Africa goal. It was a grandstand finish as the USA sought the equaliser and South Africa endured nervous moments as the team in red tried everything in the coaching manual to get back on terms. The final whistle was met by relief and then joy by South Africa as they finished in seventh position, the team’s best position since 2001 when they finished sixth. Player of the Match was South Africa’s Edith Molikoe: The athlete had played a quietly dominant role in midfield throughout the match. She said: ‘The girls put a lot of effort into this match and we wanted to finish on a high. This was probably our best performance of the tournament. After this, some of us will be preparing for the Women’s World Cup and the Commonwealth Games later this year. A lot of youngsters watching will see this as a moment of history. The next generation will see this and want to do better, so the next team can finish top three.’ South Africa Head Coach Lenise Marais said: ‘We had some moments where we really dominated and thankfully we scored three goals. We wanted to kill the game off with a fourth goal and we didn’t but our defence held out for us. At the start of the tournament we wanted to get through to the top eight, which we did. And we wanted to finish with a

Continue Reading →

April 10 2022 Potchefstroom, South Africa: A Dutch masterclass in teamwork and a magnificent goal scoring performance by Germany means that we now know who will be contesting the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup 2021 on Tuesday 12 April. In the first semi-final India knew they had a mountain to climb but the Eves started with fire and energy and looked to be capable of causing an upset. However, first the Netherlands contained their opponents and then they turned up the pressure and scored three goals that all had teamwork at their very core. While the first semi-final was level pegging for a good portion of the match, the second was one-way traffic as Germany steamrollered England in an 8-0 demolition job. Clever, well-taken penalty corners; commitment in every tackle and every shooting chance, Germany look to have peaked at just the right moment. In the earlier matches, USA were unable to change the statistics as they once more fell to a skilful and disciplined Argentinian team. And South Africa will be hugely disappointed that they were unable to convert their multiple scoring opportunities when they lost narrowly to a Korea team that was outstanding in defence. USA 0-2 Argentina (5-8th place) – Potchefstroom, North West University (RSA) USA were seeking to overturn history as the two Pan Am teams had met four times before at a Junior World Cup and had never managed to beat their South American rivals in this competition. The first 10 minutes saw the two teams trading blow for blow. USA midfielder Kathryn Peterson  was instrumental in driving her team forward, seeking to link up with the talented strike force of Ashley Sessa and Hope Rose. However, it was Argentina who created the better opportunities, putting USA goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz to the test. The Leonacitas thought they had taken the lead when Valentina Raposo found the back of the net with a penalty corner but it was disallowed. USA Head Coach Tracey Paul called for her team to take shots earlier and as the second quarter started  Lauren Wadas answered the call with a great strike that put Lourdes Perez in the Argentina goal under pressure for the first time. It was Argentina who broke the deadlock. For most of the quarter, the USA defence had stood tall in the face of Argentina’s attacking skills, but they couldn’t avoid conceding a penalty corner in the 23rd minute. This time there was no doubt as Juliana Guggini struck the ball past Skubisz. With USA chasing Argentina’s slender lead, the quality of Argentina’s defence was really highlighted. Time and again, the energetic and willing USA athletes tried to find a way past the blue and white wall but there was no way through. When in possession, Argentina’s players passed the ball with great speed and precision as they sought to wear the USA side down by moving the ball around the field. No less impressive was the USA defence at the other end of the pitch. As Brisa Bruggesser and Daiana Pacheco threw everything into scoring a second goal, Skubisz and her defence were faultless in their bravery and positioning. The game was put beyond doubt with a piece of sheer class from Daiana Pacheo. The midfielder turned on the turbo chargers as she raced from her defensive quarter to the USA circle. Her pass found Victoria Manuele who made no mistake to double her team’s lead. With five minutes left on the clock, USA Coach Paul removed Skubisz from the goal and USA went on all out attack. Showing great game management, Argentina dealt with the extra field player well and USA were once more unable to find a Junior World Cup victory over their South American rivals. Player of the Match and scorer of the opening goal, Juliana Guggini (ARG) said: ‘We came from a hard match (against Germany in the quarter-finals) but we managed to come together and came away with the win today. Even though we are disappointed, there is still a match to play and we hope to finish the highest we can.’ Argentina’s Head Coach Fernando Ferrara said: ’Today it was important to get a result as it is always a difficult match after a disappointing loss, so I am happy with this. I don’t care who we play in the fifth place play-offs, we just want to finish with a win.’ USA Head Coach Tracey Paul said: ‘Congratulations to Argentina, playing  side like them can only make us better in the long term. It is an opportunity to grow and I am proud of the young women out there today. The team will be hungry for a win in their final match.’ The result means that Argentina will now play Korea to finish in fifth position, while USA play host nation South Africa for seventh place. South Africa 0-1 Korea  (5-8th place matches) – Potchefstroom, North West University (RSA) The host nation got off to a sparkling start determined to give the supporters something to cheer in the rainy weather. A penalty corner in the third minute just flew wide but South Africa had showed their intent to play a high tempo, attacking form of hockey. Not to be outdone, minutes later Korea won their own penalty corner opportunity. Captain Kim Seona’s shot, like that of her South African counterpart, was just wide of Mishka Ellis’s post. With just a minute left, South Africa had another penalty corner and this time the variation from Hanrie Louw  went wide of the other post. The deadlock was broken through a lovely piece of play from Korea. The goal was scored against the run of play but demonstrated how a swift counter-attack can turn a game on its head. The goal was scored by Choi Nurim but was crafted by Park Yeongeun, who played the most beautiful pass into Choi’s path, putting the striker into a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. South Africa tried to come straight back but Jenri Thomas’s attempt at a

Continue Reading →

9 April 2022 Potchefstroom, South Africa: An energetic second half from Uruguay ended Canada’s Junior World Cup journey, while Austria and Ireland continued to enjoy beginners’ luck as the two debutant nations will now compete for a ninth place finish. The European team’s defeats of Korea and Malaysia respectively means the two Asian sides will be battling for eleventh place. Canada 1-4 Uruguay Korea (13-15th place) – Potchefstroom, North West University (RSA) After a first 30 minutes that saw these two Pan Am nations testing each other out, the match burst into life when Uruguay took a grasp of the match in the opening minutes of the second half. Pilar Oliveros opened the South American team’s account with a well-struck penalty corner and that body blow to the Canadian team was repeated three minutes later when Elisa Civetta scored the first of two goals. It was Civetta again in the 46th minute, when Uruguay won a penalty stroke. The in-form midfielder stepped up and struck the ball home sweetly. The game was put totally out of Canada’s reach in the final five minutes of the match as Manuela Vidal was able to latch onto a good pass and fire it home past Ishaval Sekhon to make it 4-0. Canada scored a consolation goal in the final minute of the game when Jenna Berger was able to find the back of the net after some good build-up play. Player of the Match was Elisa Civetta (URU). The two-goal hero said: ‘The game was really tough. Both teams played really well. We were more precise and we scored when we needed to and we made the difference. We did our best. It was one of our best matches. It’s the first time Uruguay is playing in the World Cup. So we’re making history in our country and we’re really proud of it.’ Head Coach for Canada Jenn Beagan said: ‘We knew that coming here would be a challenge. We have a young team. Many girls who’ve never played internationally before. So we’re really proud of the efforts they put in. This was a huge learning opportunity. We take this home.’ The result means that Canada will finish in 15th position, while Uruguay will play for 13-14th place against Wales. Zimbabwe 0-1 Austria  (9-12th place matches) – Potchefstroom, North West University (RSA) The opening quarter was very much Austria’s in terms of possession as the European team seemed to have a better structure and focus in this match to decide who would play for 13-14th place. However, when it came to converting those chances, Austria just couldn’t find their way past Jenna Mathieson in the Zimbabwe goal. The closest opportunity fell to Nathalie Matousek, whose good work was spoilt when she flicked the ball straight at the keeper. With seconds left, Johanna Czech sent a penalty corner shot just past the goalpost. In the second quarter, the game evened out as Zimbabwe began to find their place on the pitch. Alexi Terreblanche was proving a stabilising force in midfield and some good running attacks were mounted on the back of her performance. Unfortunately for the African team, the forwards were not able to find a way into their opponent’s circle. During the half-time team talks, both Head Coaches asked their players to reduce the amount of turnovers and to be more efficient int he circle. Certainly Zimbabwe started in sparkling fashion. Within seconds they had broken through the Austrian defence and had their first meaningful shot. There was no score but it certainly signalled a higher level of intent. As the game continued with no goals being scored, frustration began to creep into both team’s performance. Austria’s Fiona Felber went on a  mazy run that earns her team a penalty corner, but once again Mathieson was able to watch the ball fly wide. The deadlock was finally broken in the 54th minute when Katharina Bauer pounced on a ball that had bobbled off a Zimbabwe stick. She took the ball wide on her reverse, which gave her space to fire home and give her side an all important goal. Once they had the goal, Austria showed their ability to manage a game well as they kept Zimbabwe’s desperate measures to equalise at bay. Player of the Match Katharina Bauer said: ‘I am just extremely happy that we won as a team. We just needed to score a goal. I cannot express much more.’ Austria’s Head Coach Corinna Zerbs said: ‘It is unbelievable what this young team has achieved so far. Particularly given that we had no real preparation. We have improved from game to game. Zimbabwe defended very well but we are delighted that we scored that goal.’ Zimbabwe’s Head Coach Tendayi Maredzawas magnanimous in defeat: ‘It was a tough one but we fought hard. There had to be a winner and Austria took their chance. We could have stolen it in the second half but to do that we have to take our chances.’ Austria will now play Ireland in the 9-10th place match, while Zimbabwe will play Malaysia for 11-12th. Ireland 2-1 Malaysia (9-12th place) – Potchefstroom, North West University (RSA) This match started at a quick pace, with both sides showing full intent. Malaysia won an early penalty corner but Ireland’s swift count attack saw Christina Hamill race the length of the pitch before being dispossessed in the Malaysian circle. Ireland then won their own series of penalty corner opportunities, but like their Asian opponents, the players in green were unable to convert. That changed in the 13th minute when yet another speedy Irish counter attack saw Yasmin Pratt race into the Malaysia circle and slip the ball to Rachel Kelly who was on hand to strike the ball home to give Ireland a 1-0 lead. In the second quarter Ireland continued to press forward but found the Malaysian defence, led by Abang Dayang, was resolute in the face of the pressure. A great bit of improvised goalkeeping by

Continue Reading →