England women’s hockey coach Danny Kerry is pleased with his team’s progression despite going down 2-1 in their opening Champions Trophy clash with Australia in Mendoza, Argentina.
Australia took an early lead thanks to a Jodie Kenny penalty corner that found a gap between goalkeeper Kirsty Mackay and Laura Unsworth.
It got harder for England a minute later when stand-in captain Alex Danson left the field with injury but they fought their way back into the match and had their reward in the 40th minute – Joie Leigh finding Ellie Watton unmarked who equalised.
But, despite their best efforts they couldn’t keep Australia at bay and another Kenny penalty corer with five minutes left was enough to seal the win.
However Kerry, who coached Team GB at London 2012, says he was happy with his side’s performance and optimistic about the trajectory of the team.
“The team and staff are pleased with the level of performance today. We felt we had the balance of play in the second half but you have to credit Australia for converting their corners,” he said.
“I thought the young players did well and I’m pleased at the progression we’ve made in the last three months.”
© Sportsbeat 2014