A last-gasp goal condemned England women to another Hockey World Cup defeat on Sunday but Alex Danson is convinced the heartbreak will spur her side on to greater things.
England were well-placed to pick up their first point of the tournament when heading into the dying stages against Argentina with the scores level.
Danson had put England ahead after just seven minutes only for Delfina Merino to grab an equaliser before the break.
But they were dealt a crushing blow in the final seconds when Carla Rebecchi bundled home a dramatic late winner from a short corner.
Danson, who was part of the Great Britain side that won bronze at the London 2012 Olympics, was distraught after the final whistle but she expects the trauma to drive England forward.
“We are absolutely devastated to lose it right at the end but so proud of the performance,” said the 29-year-old.
“We have come out today, we have fought, we have given absolutely everything we possibly could for one another and for our country.
“We fought and we fought and we gave it absolutely everything – to lose it that way at the end is so cruel but we are proud of the performance today.
“We proudly play for our country, we proudly play for another and when we step on the turf that is all we think about.
“We will regroup and we will get better and this will be probably the toughest learning curve we will ever have, but it will make us better, it will make us stronger and we will come back fighting as a team.”
England will complete the pool stage with a clash against Germany on Tuesday.
© Sportsbeat 2014