Hockey women in 2-1 win over Japan

[caption id="attachment_212985" align="aligncenter" width="596"] Sulette Damons of South Africa tackles Mami Karino of Japan during the FIH Hockey World League women's semifinal match
Picture: Getty Images[/caption]

The South Africa women’s hockey team finished fifth at the FIH Hockey World League semifinals after beating Japan 2-1 in their playoff match at the Wits hockey stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The home team ended the first chukka with a flurry of penalty corners, but could not score.

Soon after the start of the second chukka, SA got a penalty stroke after a Japanese player blocked the ball with her body in front of the goal-box. Lillian du Plessis converted the stroke to give SA the lead. It was Du Plessis’s second goal of the tournament.

Tarryn Glasby gave South Africa a two-goal lead in the 23rd minute after a good pass from Shelley Jones.

Japan’s only goal of the match came after some five minutes of play in the third chukka, when Yuri Nagai found the back of the goal-box.

In the last few minutes, Japan played with a kicking-back for the extra attacking player. They desperately worked for the equaliser but South Africa’s defenders gave them no space to attack.

By finishing in the top six of the tournament, the SA women have qualified for the FIH World Cup in London next year.

The African Championship will be contested later this year and if the SA women win that tournament, they move into the world’s top 10 rankings.