Australia stay on course for double

Add as a preferred source on Google

Sydney: Defending women's champions Australia continued their impressive march towards back-to-back Olympic titles with a 3-0 win over New Zealand on Sunday.

Denied several times by Kiwi goal-keeper Helen Clarke in the first half, Australia stepped up a gear after the break.

Nikki Hudson opened the scoring from a penalty corner in the 50th minute and grabbed her second two minutes later, before Katrina Powell latched onto a precise Claire Mitchell-Taverner deflection to complete the scoring in the 62nd minute.

Australian coach Ric Charlesworth praised his side's persistence after a frustrating first half.

''Remember the Pat Rafter story. That was our five-setter today,'' Charlesworth said in his after-match team talk. ''Sometimes you've got to be prepared to go the distance.''

With Hudson at her elusive best down the left side, Australia ran New Zealand off their legs in the second half. The speed and precision of their play sent an ominous warning to the challengers lining up for a shot at their crown.

Still among those contenders are Argentina, who kept their medal hopes alive with a 3-1 upset of Netherlands.

The pool standings after Sunday's first round of matches are: Australia 7 points, Spain 5, China 4, Netherlands 3, New Zealand 3, Argentina 3.



(c) Reuters Limited.