Ireland defeated top-ranked Canada in a fast-paced entertaining match (2-0), while Austria needed a shoot-out to squeeze past Russia in the other semi-final. Both teams advanced to the Final of the competition but most important to the next round of the World League. The winner of the 3rd place match tomorrow between Canada and Russia will also qualify for R3.

In the lower tier of the competition, Italy were ecstatic to win over Trinidad & Tobago (2-1) while Chile defeated the USA (3-1).

Semi-Final - Ireland vs. Canada: 2-0 (ht: 0-0)

The hazards of pool play and quarter-finals pitted the two top-ranked teams against each other for an explosive semi-final, with the winners off to World League Round 3 and the losers still having another chance to maintain their Olympic dream alive in the 3rd-4th place match. Before the match, Irish Chris Cargo and Canadian goal-keeper David Carter were honored for their 100th International Cap.

Tension was palpable in the two teams before the match. The Canadians were fast in action in the Irish circle in the opening minute, then play settled in midfield for an observation round. Play was intense and of good level, but with no clear chance at either end. Canada had the first penalty-corner of the match on a hard shot by Matthew Guest deflected by David Harte on a defender’s foot, but Scott Tupper’s attempt was thwarted by a running defender and first quarter ended logically scoreless.

Canada seemed to take a slight territorial advantage early in second quarter, making the Irish run after their passes. Mark Pearson had a chance after stealing a ball from the Irish defense but was just short to beat David Harte in the Irish goal. Hockey was fast and entertaining for the spectators, but the two teams were efficiently neutralizing each other.

Ireland found an opening in the 26th minute and forced a penalty-corner in the crowded Canadian circle. They tried a fancy variation that fizzled and the Canadian could clear their territory. Canada earned another penalty-corner for some rough Irish defense but Tupper was denied again by David Harte and the two teams walked back-to-back and scoreless into the half-time break, with the feeling that the result could swing either way. 

Play remained balanced at the beginning of second half, with neither team giving an inch to the opposition. Both sides tried aerial ball to get away from the tight marking but with no real benefit. Ireland earned a penalty-corner in the 39th minute and Shane O'Donoghue did not go for fancy this time, powerfully propelling the ball high over David Carter’s head to give a tenuous lead to the Europeans. O'Donoghue added a second goal three minutes later and things started to look bleak for the Canadians.

Ireland earned two penalty-corners early in fourth quarter, but bobbled the first and sent the other way over the Canadian goal. They had however taken a good grip on the match and the Canadians were struggling to get away from their defensive end.

The end of match was intense and ferociously contested, but the slope was too steep for the Canadians and the Irish team was soon celebrating their qualification for the next round of the World League, while the disappointed Canadians were looking at regrouping before their next match, against either Austria or Russia, to earn the third ticket for Round 3.

Semi-final - Austria vs. Russia: 1-1 (ht: 1-0 + shoot-outs: 4-2)

The two European teams had squeezed through the quarter-finals with narrow wins over the USA and Chile, and it was hard to predict from the early stages of the match which team would emerge as winner and qualify for the next round of the World League.

Play was balanced but certainly not as intense and structured as the previous semi-final between Ireland and Canada. There were many phases played at a pedestrian pace, as if the players were trying to preserve themselves from the Californian afternoon heat. Austria were trying to speed up their play but the Russians seemed satisfied to pass the ball in the backfield waiting for an opening to materialize.

Neither Mateusz Szymczyk in the Austrian goal nor Marat Gafarov for Russia were called into pressing action until the 27th minute, when Benjamin Stanzl created havoc in the Russian circle after a long run on the left wing. Austria earned a penalty-corner and Julius Heimans did not miss the opportunity to break the deadlock for a 1-0 lead going into the break.

Russia came back level just after half-time with a penalty-stroke well taken by Igor Siniagin and the two teams were back to square one. The Russians maintained their momentum and earned a penalty-corner that resulted in a messy situation in front of the Austrian goal; they thought that they had scored but their celebration was cut short by the umpire who had spotted a foul. 

Under the Russian increasing pressure, Austria could not manage to keep the ball long enough to develop dangerous plays. On the other hand, the Russians, smelling that they were within reach of a positive result, were pouncing on every ball and immediately creating danger. Intensity of play had increased a few notches with the urgency to score but players seemed to be drained of energy and many unforced errors broke the rhythm of play.

Finally, in a last ditch attempt, Russia earned a penalty-stroke… with 4 seconds left on the clock. Incredibly, Austrian goal-keeper Mateusz Szymczyk saved the attempt to push the match into shoot-outs. Austria were more on target than the Russians (4-2) and squeezed through to the Final and booked their tickets for the next round of the World League.

Cross-over 5-8 - Trinidad & Tobago vs. Italy: 1-2 (ht: 1-1)

Trinidad & Tobago had recharged their energy after their heavy quarter-final loss to Ireland and were quickly on the offensive, earning a couple of penalty-corners in the opening minutes of the cross-over against Italy, but to no avail. The Italians promptly regained their composure and play became more balanced, with Francesco Padovani making his usual miracles in the Italian goal to clean-up behind his defense.

He could however not do much on T&T’s fourth penalty-corner, slotted high in the corner by Kwan Browne in the 11th minute, the only goal of first quarter. Play became very much equal in second quarter, both teams favoring long runs with the ball rather than patient passing build-up. Italy took advantage of a Trinidadian green card to earn a penalty-corner, well converted with a low flick by Thomas Keenan in the 26th minute, for an even score at half-time.

Thomas Keenan had another chance on penalty-corner early in second half, but this time his low shot did not fool Ron Alexander, on duty in the Trinidadian goal today. The ball stayed tantalizing close to the line for what looks like an eternity, but was finally cleared by the defense. Tempo slowed down in this period, possibly because the players were starting to feel the physical toll of their fifth high level match in a week, or even suffering from the blistering Californian heat now baking the Chula Vista venue.

Trinidad & Tobago had four penalty-corners in third quarter, all cleanly defended by the Italians. Play was starting to lose its structure, with long runs from one end to other, and score remained tied at 1-1 going in the last quarter. Umpires had to distribute a few cards and Italy had a period of domination during a Trinidadian yellow card. After two unsuccessful penalty-corner attempts, the Italians finally took the lead in the 50th minute by Daniele Cioli with a diving shot.

Tension was high during the final minutes of the match, on the pitch, on the bench and amongst the Italian fans on the sideline. Trinidad & Tobago pushed as hard as they could, and nearly scored a fraction of second before the horn, but the Italians, keeping an eye on the clock ticking down oh so slowly, held tight and were soon celebrating a win that ensures that they will finish at least two spots above their entry ranking.

Cross-over 5-8 - USA vs. Chile: 1-3 (ht: 0-0)

Both teams were bitterly disappointed by their narrow losses in quarter-finals (USA lost 1-2 to Austria and Chile only succumbed in penalty-shots to Russia) and eager to rebound in their last matches, even though their hopes of advancing to the next round of the World League had evaporated.

The North Americans controlled play in first quarter, but the Chileans neutralized their efforts, surviving a few hot situations in their circle for a scoreless first quarter. The USA continued their pressure in second quarter but were still kept at bay, including on a penalty-corner well saved by Adrian Henriquez in the Chilean goal. Henriquez was under fire during the whole quarter, but the USA had nothing to show on the scoreboard for their intense efforts in first half.

The USA were awarded a penalty-corner hotly contested by the Chileans players early in second half, but Adrian Henriquez was once again up to the task. With the persisting deadlock, tempters started to flare and players on both side were somewhat losing their composure, rushing their passes or tackles.

Chile had a period of domination in third quarter and Christopher Rea, who was having a quiet morning so far in the USA goal, was beaten from close range in the 43rd minute by Jose Maldonado, after Felipe Eggers played quickly a free-hit close to the circle, penetrated the circle and delivered a perfect cross.

That did not sit well with the USA and they pushed forward with exacerbated energy. The earned a penalty-corner in the 48th minute and this time did not try a fancy variation, leaving William Holt to propel powerfully the ball low in goal, tying the score with plenty of time on the clock. Holt had another penalty-corner opportunity chance a few minutes later but to no avail this time.

Play was flowing frantically back and forth, both teams trying to grab a decision before the shoot-outs. Chile were rewarded in the 54th minute when Thomas Kannegiesser pounced on a loose ball in the circle and propelled it high in goal out of reach of Christopher Rea. The USA replaced their goal-keeper with a field player with four minutes to go and even had a double numerical advantage when a Chilean picked up a yellow card. They immediately forced a penalty-corner but it was deflected by Henriquez.

The North American gambit backfired when they suffered a penalty-corner, converted high in goal by Nicolas Renz, establishing a two-goal cushion with two minutes on the clock. Chile absorbed the last American efforts and earned their spot for the 5th-6th place match, where they will meet Italy for a revenge of the pool match.

The USA on the other hand were bitterly disappointed to have let another close match slip out of their grasp in the final minutes of play, pushing them down to the 7th-8th match against Trinidad & Tobago.


Schedule for Day 6 (Sunday March 8):
7th-8th: Trinidad & Tobago vs. USA
5th-6th: Italy vs. Chile
3rd-4th: Canada vs. Russia
Final: Ireland vs. Austria