The Hockeyroos have continued their hot start to the Tokyo Olympics with a 6-0 defeat of China today to record their second-straight win.
Following a scoreless opening quarter, two goals to Emily Chalker gave the Australians a 2-0 lead at the main break before Brooke Peris scored in the opening seconds of the third quarter to hand the Hockeyroos a comfortable cushion.
Then three goals in the final quarter, courtesy of Rosie Malone, Steph Kershaw and Grace Stewart sealed an emphatic victory for the Hockeyroos, sending a message to their rivals for a gold medal.
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Aiming for their first Olympic medal since Sydney 2000, Australian coach Katrina Powell admitted she was surprised with her side’s performance following their opening 3-1 win over Spain yesterday.
“I definitely didn’t see that coming. I definitely asked the girls to build on yesterday’s performance, which they probably eclipsed,” Powell said.
“Really pleased with not only just how we went about it and the way we moved the ball, but also how the work we’ve done in terms of our fitness.
“The Olympics is always a big ask, a big task, a big stage, and in these tough conditions with everything that’s going on, not just with the actual environment, the athletes are very resilient, they’re very ready to take on any challenge that gets thrown at them.
“They impressed me today.”
The big win puts the world No.3 Hockeyroos top of Group B. They will next face host nation Japan on Wednesday.
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