England head coach Danny Kerry insists his players are learning all the time despite falling to a 4-1 defeat to hosts Argentina in their final 2014 Champions Trophy pool game.
Drawing 1-1 at half-time thanks to Sophie Bray’s seventh-minute opener, England were undone as the defending champions fired in three goals in the final quarter for a 4-1 victory.
It put a somewhat harsh look on the scoreline after England had dominated the opening quarter against the world number three side before keeping the scores even heading into the final nine minutes.
But Silvina D’elia nudged her side ahead on 51 minutes and with England down to ten following Susannah Townsend’s yellow card, the home side rounded off the win with two further goals to confirm top spot in the pool.
England meanwhile finish fourth in Pool B, leaving them to contest the winner of Pool A in Thursday’s quarter-finals, and Kerry admits his side need to make sure to take their chances.
“We started well, but after taking the lead we did lose our shape and allowed Argentina to come back at us,” he said.
“I thought the final score line was harsh and we had some really good chances at the start of the final quarter when the score was still 1-1 to take the lead.
“But after going a goal down and then losing a player it was game over for us against an experienced Argentina side who showed great consistency and executed their chances well.
“I believe we have gained a lot from the tournament so far and it’s been a great learning curve for the less experienced players to compete at this level.
“We are starting to create genuine depth in the squad and this will stand us in good stead leading into the Olympic Qualifier [World League Semi Final] next summer.”
© Sportsbeat 2014