FOUR NATIONS : ARGENTINA SHOW THEIR CLASS

 

FOUR NATIONS : ARGENTINA SHOW THEIR CLASS

On the first day of the Four Nations at Mendosa, Argentina, current world champions   gave the  USA, currently world ranked 13th , a master class in competitive international hockey with a convincing 5-0 win.

Report/photographs JOHN COXON

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With three local  Mendoza girls in the team, Silvina D'Elia, Macarena Rodriguez and Marcela Casale, at the province's hockey stadium , Las Leonas thrashed the U.S.A. 5-0. Goals, all in the first half , came from captain  Noel Barrionuevo after just seven minutes  and  Rocio Sanchez Moccia ten minutes later. Carla Rebecchi  made it three ,scoring on twenty five minutes. Carla Dupuy hit in the next on the half hour mark and then again three minutes later.

The United States came out in the second half with a more positive  attitude, but had  little offensive weight. They rarely  penetrated  the Argentine  circle  and Belen Succi dealt well with what was the Americans one real chance of a consolation. Argentina continued to attack and challenge the USA goal but without adding to the score.

Australia, currently ranked 6th , and playing their first international  under new coach Adam Commens, made a positive start to their four Nations, recording  a 1-1 draw in Mendosa against Gemany, currently world ranked third with both  goals in the first half.   Germany's Eileen Hoffman found the net on eleven minutes with the Australian reply coming  eighteen minutes later from Jade Close,( in this only her seventh international appearance for the "Hockeyroos",) both with field goals from open play. The Australian squad included  seven new players, a very different looking team to the group that won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. It was a narrow 1-0 win back in last September when the Germans put and end to the Australian's World Cup ambitions in Argentina confining them to a 5th and six place play off against the Koreans.

Mendosa hosts the first of two separate Four Nations tournaments in Argentina with separate finals. The four international teams move to Rosario for the second competition from 16th - 20th February. Next up at Mendosa , Australia will  play the USA and Argentina take on Germany.

Such is the confidence in the Argentine camp with the new enlarged squad's strength in depth confirmed in the South Africa series of friendlies last December ,  both the coaching staff ( led by Carlos  Retegui)  and the CAH have  allowed  two of their most experienced and gifted players, Luciana Aymar and Soledad Garcia  exemption from training for and playing in this series. Both stars return to full training with the squad in April with an eye on the first major prize of the year, defending their World Champions Trophy crown in Amsterdam this June. 

Relatively early after their World Cup triumph in Rosario last year, Argentina announced plans to ensure they retain their status as the best in the world. This  included raising the levels of game specific fitness with the expertise of the newly appointed fitness coach Alejandro Labonio.  CAH/ Coach Carlos Retegui were quick to announce  a series of  new selections to add to their squad  and get them bedded in and training together  but also playing competitively outdoors with established players at CENARD Buenos Aries and, for example in a series of friendlies against South Africa at the end of last year. 

Even in the new  year  Carlos "Chapa" Retegui was one of the first international coaches to get their squads back in training outside and that included a punishing schedule of two week's intensive multi-training work before these Four Nations. Elsewhere, in Holland, last year, former Argentine international Max Caldas was finally appointed to replace Herman Kruis as coach  and began the process of  integrating new additions into the national squad but it appears they haven't had as much opportunity to train together as Retegui's players have or to enjoy the same level of competitive games. The Dutch select returned last week from a two week training camp in Alicante, Spain which a friendly against Belarus and  a series of games with the squad divided into two teams playying each other from which Caldas saw many positive developments.  In Holland and England    some national top club  hockey was seriously disrupted by the weather although indoor championships offered some close skills practice for key players, but not of course on synthetic grass pitches.  

ARG 5- USA 0

ARG : Belen Succi, Giselle Kanevsky, Silvina D'Elia, Noel Barrionuevo (c), Daniela Sruoga, Mariela Scarone, Josefina Sruoga; Macarena Rodríguez, Carla Rebecchi, Rosario Luchetti, Delphine Merino.
subsititutions: Jimena Cedrés, Carla Dupuy, Rocío Sánchez Moccia, Victoria Zuloaga, Marcela Casale

Argentine player profiles here  :-  LAS LEONAS

USA: Jaclyn Kintz, Lauren Crandall, Kayla Bashore, Claire Laubach, Caroline Nichols, Michelle Kasold, Kathleen O'Donnell, Keli Smith, Shannon Taylor, Rachel Dawson, Kathryn Evans. Coach: Lee Bodimeade.

GER 1- AUS 1

GER:- Frank, Yvonne; Platten, Kim; Brockmann, Anke ; Frank, Eva ; Geyer, Lina; Haase, Lydia ;Hasselmann, Nina ;Hauke, Franzisca ;Hoffmann, Eileen ;Karwatzky, Julia Krüger, Hannah ;Mävers, Marie;. Müller, Julia ;Müller-Wieland, Janne ;Plass, Jennifer . Pütz, Jennifer ; Schütze, Christina ;. Sehlmann, Mia ;. Steindor, Luisa;. Wilde, Celine

Australian player Profiles :- HOCKEYROOS

Current FIH World Rankings

More Argentine player images here :-  LAS LEONAS

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