Other Sport
SA women down Scotland
2012-05-30 22:36
Kathleen Taylor (Photo: Donald Macleod)
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Glasgow - The world’s 12th-ranked South Africa women’s hockey team beat world No 18 Scotland 4-2 after the scores were 1-1 at half-time in a hot-tempered third Test here on Thursday.
The win gave South Africa an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the five-Test series. The first Test was a 2-2 draw with the second international 2-1 to South Africa.
South Africa's goals were scored by Kathleen Taylor, Jen Wilson, Tarryn Bright and Sulette Damons while Scotland scored through Sam Judge and Nikki Kidd.
Taylor scored in the third minute with a reverse-stick strike into the far corner.
The South Africans were moving the ball at pace in a very physical, high-tempo match which they dominated, but Scotland equalised midway through the first half after winning a penalty corner, with Judge’s well-struck shot evading a diving Sanani Mangisa in goal as the ball cruelly deflected off a defender’s stick.
Soon after the re-start Kidd put Scotland 2-1 up via a penalty corner that went past replacement 'keeper Mariette Rix who appeared to be unsighted by the traffic in front of her before SA equalised with an excellent far-post deflection by Jen Wilson.
Dirkie Chamberlain, the excellent Marsha Marescia and Wilson were unfortunate not to get more goals while Scotland also came close a few times, but Tarryn Bright and Sulette Damons made certain of South Africa’s 4-2 victory with excellent strikes.
Scotland rested influential captain Linda Clement and outstanding goalkeeper Amy Gibson, who was replaced by Nicki Cochrane on debut, and she had a brilliant match.
As in the first two Tests, SA were missing world record goalscorer Pietie Coetzee and fellow double Olympian Kate Woods, who are scheduled to join the team on Thursday for the fourth and fifth Tests, as well as striker Lauren Penny (shoulder injury), while Scotland were missing their four Great Britain Olympic squad members, as well as Clement and Gibson.