SA hockey women undone by Chile

The result left one of the more astonishing series in a deadlock, yet the results suggest it should never have been so.

SA was comfortable winners of the first Test 4-2 last week and the outcome never appeared in much doubt. Then it was the Chileans who came out of the starting blocks against a relatively inexperienced, untried SA team in the second Test – when several senior players were rested for various reasons – and came out 2-0 winners.

At 1-1 in the series, the SA girls, more or less at full strength again amongst the squad here, blitzed Chile off the park 6-0 with two rampant phases that realised three goals either side of half-time, and each time those trio of strikes were scored inside six minutes of sheer mayhem.

Those second and third chukkas indicated exactly what this SA team is capable of.

Leading 2-1 in the series and determined not to lose it, the SA team started like a house on fire Tuesday, moving the ball beautifully around the park and threatened to overwhelm Chile the same way they did just 20-odd hours before, but there was one glaring problem – umpteen attacks broke down inside the attacking 23-metre area as well in the strike zone.

It is a maxim of sport that if you don’t take your chances, it can come back to bite you – and so it proved, the impressive striker Manuela Urroz getting a tip-in off captain Camila Caram’s conventional hit at a penalty corner in the 52nd minute.

The last eight minute witnessed frenetic action but Chile emerged unscathed to retain their 1-0 lead to square the series 2-2.

SA will have to pick themselves up quickly, as they host Belgium on Wednesday at 6.30pm.