Ireland destroyed Trinidad & Tobago (12-2), Canada defeated Italy (4-0), Austria squeezed past the USA (2-1) and Russia needed shoot-outs to push aside a valiant Chilean team and reach the semi-finals of the World League Round 2 in San Diego. Canada is the only Pan American team in the last quartet of the competition.
QF1: Ireland vs. Trinidad & Tobago 12-2 (ht: 4-2)
First quarter-final of this World League R2 pitted Ireland, unbeaten winner of Pool A, to Trinidad & Tobago, still in quest of a positive result in this competition. Before the match, Trinidadian Kwan Browne was honored for his 300h International Cap, an outstanding achievement in international hockey.
It did not take long for Ireland to stake their claim on the qualification for the semi-finals, with Stephen Dowds at the conclusion of a swift movement in the first minute of play. They added promptly a second goal by their captain John Jackson in the 7th minute, but Trinidad & Tobago, boosted by the arrival of the warm Californian sun and harangued by Kwan Browne, reacted well and forced a penalty-corner, scored by Browne recovering well from a mistrapped ball to celebrate in style his milestone Cap achievement.
Browne, in fine form, added another penalty-corner in the initial minute of second quarter and the teams were back square. Ireland might have been a little surprised by this come-back but maintained their pressure and regained the lead in the 19th minute by Paul Gleghorne, making the best of a bobbled penalty-corner with an innocuous shot that somehow escaped the defender on the line.
The match was certainly not a one-way affair at that point, with Trinidad & Tobago dangerous on swift counter-attacks. Ireland had a more structured approach and added their fourth goal by Peter Caruth, well positioned on the far post to deflect a cross after a decisive back line progression by Michael Watt. They reached half-time of this lively match with a two-goal cushion (4-2).
Trinidad were all over the Irish circle early in second half and earned a penalty-corner, but Kwan was denied this time. It acted as a wake-up call for Ireland and they forced a penalty-corner of their own on the next action, deflected just in front of goal-keeper Andrey Rocke by Shane O'Donoghue for the fifth Irish goal and a 3-goal lead. Conor Harte added another penalty-corner in the 40th minute and the match looked as well as folded, with a seemingly unsurmountable 4-goal lead.
With Trinidad & Tobago fading in the final stages of the match, as was the trend since the beginning of the competition, Ireland added two more goals in third quarter (8-2), then four in fourth quarter for a final score of 12-2. They cruised into semi-finals where they will face the winner of the quarter-final between Canada and Italy.
QF2: Canada vs. Italy 4-0 (ht: 2-0)
Second quarter-final of the day opposed top-ranked Canada to Italy, the good surprise of the competition so far with excellent performances. Canadian captain Scott Tupper was honored before the match for his 200th International Cap, a remarkable milestone.
Italy survived a hot situation in front of their keeper Francesco Padovani in the opening minutes of the match, then Canada obtained a penalty-corner, upgraded to a penalty-stroke after a defender stopped the ball with his foot on the line. Scott Tupper made no mistake from the spot, giving Canada an early lead.
Canada dominated play but could not further finalize their actions, kept at bay by the disciplined and compact Italian defense. It is only in the 24th minute that Gabriel Ho-Garcia forced another penalty-corner after a 50-meter run and a decisive circle penetration, and Scott Tupper doubled his tally for the day to give some breathing space to Canada.
Tempters got somewhat heated at the end of the period and both teams played short for a while, but no more goals were scored and half-time was reached with a meagre two-goal lead for the North Americans.
Same pattern prevailed in third quarter, with Canada dominating the proceedings but rushing their passes, or shots on goals, thus keeping Italy very much within striking distance. The quarter ended with unchanged scoreline and Italia getting more daring around the Canadian circle, although Dave Carter in the Canadian goal was never in pressing danger.
Canada kept control the game in the last quarter but certainly did put any urgency in their play and did not generate many opportunities. They could not take advantage of a rare penalty-corner and finally scored their third goal in the 56th minute by Brenden Bissett at the end of a quick exchange of passes in the Italian circle.
Scott Tupper, celebrating in style his milestone Cap, completed a hat-trick in the final action of the match at the end of counter-attack that swept the whole pitch and Canada seemed happy with the 4-0 win that qualified them for the semi-finals against Ireland, although they will certainly have to work harder if they want to advance further in the competition.
QF3: Austria vs. USA 2-1 (ht: 1-0)
Host team USA had high hope for this competition but were up against strong opposition with an Austrian squad impressive in pool matches. As they are used to, the USA started the game at full speed, applying strong pressure on the Austrians and not hesitating to take their chances close to their circle.
Best American chance of opening quarter was in the 10th minute for William Holt, unleashing a powerful shot that had Austrian goal-keeper Mateusz Szymczyk beaten but was saved by a defender on the line. Austria had a penalty-corner opportunity on their rare incursion in USA territory but to no avail and first quarter ended scoreless.
Play continued fairly balanced in second quarter, with a good chance for Pat Harris. Austria were weathering the storm calmly and scored on one of their first push forward in the 27th minute by Alexander Bele to take a tenuous lead at half-time.
Austria tried to take control of play in third quarter but the Americans were working very hard and not leaving them any leeway. Pat Harris had another chance in front of an empty net but could not control the bouncing ball; he earned a penalty-corner on the play but it was shot wide. The Europeans were calmly setting their plays, making the Americans run after the ball, but the USA were rewarded for their hard work in the 45th minute when captain William Holt deflected in goal from short range a free hit played quickly in the circle through the Austrian defense, much to the pleasure of the local fans enjoying the game in the Californian sun.
Play was tense in the fourth quarter, with both teams careful not to expose themselves but still trying to earn the decision before full time. Austrian captain Benjamin Stanzl forced a penalty-corner after a powerful run thought the whole American defense, but the USA survived the attempt, plus a repeat. Michael Körper hit the post just after following a long solitary run and score was still tied going into the final minutes, setting up a torrid end of match.
Dominic Uher finally grabbed the benefit of the match for Austria after a long run along the right wing and the back line, managing to slide the ball under the sliding American goal-keeper. The USA pulled their goal-keeper in the final minutes, but it was too late and Austria were relieved to hear the horn and book their ticket for a semi-final against the winner of the match between Russia and Chile.
The USA were clearly disappointed to have let the decision slip away, but could take solace in the fact that they played a strong game, possibly their best of the competition.
QF4: Russia vs. Chile 2-2 (ht: 1-0 - shoot-outs: 5-4)
Before the match, Chilean Martin Rodriguez was honored for his 100th International Cap.
Play was animated in opening quarter but neither team managed to take an ascendant on the opposition, and no real goal scoring chances were manufactured. The Russians seemed less dominant than in their pool matches, possibly feeling the now intense afternoon Californian heat. They maintained their structure but the swift Chilean counter-attacks were sometimes creating havoc in their midfield and defense.
Igor Siniagin was taken down in the circle in the 21st minute and converted the penalty-stroke himself to finally open the scoring for Russia. Play was intense, but no further opportunities were created and the Russians walked into the half-time break with their meagre one-goal advantage and not looking especially confident.
Russia tried to speed up their ball circulation in second half to make the Chileans run but the South Americans were not overly bothered and managed to force a penalty-corner. They thought that they had scored but, after some confusion, the goal was denied. Alexis Berczely had another chance soon after following a quick pick-up close to the circle but his shot was high over Marat Gafarov in the Russian goal.
Chile came back level in the 40th minute by Nicolas Renz after a perfectly executed penalty-corner variation that fooled the Russian defense. However Russia rebuilt their lead with a few seconds left in third quarter after an individual exploit from Nikolay Komaro who, blocked in the corner of the circle, managed to squeeze between two defenders and lobbed Adrian Henriquez in the Chilean goal from an improbable angle.
There was the feeling that the match could still swing one way or the other and intensity increased a few notches in the final quarter, with a few cards distributed by the umpires. Chile tried and tried, and were rewarded with a goal by Martin Rodriguez with still three minutes left on the clock. Both teams played short on yellow cards in the final minutes and the deadlock could not be broken, so the result had to be decided, for the first time in this competition, with a series of shoot-outs!
All Russian shooters managed to score but one Chilean failed and Russia squeezed through to the semi-finals, while the Chileans could be legitimately disappointed to have missed by so little what would have been a significant exploit.
Schedule for Day 5 (Saturday March 7):
Cross-over 5-8: Trinidad & Tobago vs. Italy
Cross-over 5-8: USA vs. Chile
Semi-final: Ireland vs. Canada
Semi-final: Austria vs. Russia
