Hat-trick hero Alex Danson insists confidence remains high in the Great Britain camp ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after a 4-3 victory over New Zealand secured the women a fifth-place finish at the Hockey Champions Trophy.
Danson’s treble, in addition to a strike from Lily Owsley, handed Danny Kerry’s team their first win of the tournament, condemning the Blacksticks to the wooden spoon.
Great Britain started the match with real hunger, and it wasn’t long before Danson broke the deadlock, latching onto a perfect pass from Sophie Bray before slamming in a backhand strike to give the hosts the advantage.
But New Zealand equalised early in the second quarter when the ball broke to Anita McLaren who made no mistake in bringing the scores level, but parity was restored for just four minutes, Owsley slotting home at the second attempt to give Great Britain the lead at half time.
Danson got her second minutes after the interval from a slick penalty corner routine, before Olivia Merry pulled one back for New Zealand in the 39th minute.
They equalised within two minutes of the final quarter restart when Kayla Whitelock’s penalty corner was deflected in by Kelsey Smith, but the Blacksticks’ comeback failed to deter Great Britain.
And their perseverance paid dividends when Danson, roared on by the ever-present home crowd, broke free to produce a sublime finish to complete her hat-trick and secure the win for the home side.
“It was a fantastic game,” said Danson. “Thank you to everyone who has come out and supported us this week, I don’t think anyone has lost faith in us and we haven’t lost faith in ourselves.
“To have a fantastic atmosphere like that on our home turf in the Olympic Park is pretty special. After a hard week we are delighted to come away with that last win.
“It was really important to get the win today but even though it has been a difficult week the one thing that hasn’t been lost is that sense of togetherness.
“Sometimes a little set back is mark of strength, when a team can come back out and perform it shows great belief.
“We are a very, very tight team and we know exactly what we want to achieve. We believe in each other and we will go and get the job done.”
Sportsbeat 2016