Lily Owsley scores twice as Great Britain women's FIH Pro League campaign ends on high against New Zealand
Despite playing on a pioneering pitch at the home of Gallagher Premiership side Harlequins, Great Britain’s final fixture in the FIH Pro League - on paper at least - had paled into insignificance. Mark Hager’s side had already been eliminated from the grand final of the inaugural competition after recording just two wins from their previous 15 fixtures amid mounting scrutiny around his side's goal-barren reputation.
But this unwanted record did little to dampen Britain’s spirits for this event in front of a record-breaking crowd of around 12,000 at Twickenham Stoop - the largest attendance at a hockey match in the UK since the London 2012 Olympics. They rose to the occasion with they type of ruthlessness that Hager had urged his side to show in recent weeks to record a 3-1 victory.
“The atmosphere was absolutely incredible,” said captain Hollie Pearne-Webb. “I had to pinch myself. I’m so lucky that I’m in a squad that’s able to play in this. I feel for a lot of the girls who have retired recently because they’ve done so much to put our sport where it is and they haven’t had this opportunity.
“We now have a responsibility to make sure we can repeat these performances and make people come to watch us in these massive stadiums around the country.”
Lily Owsley - Britain’s top scorer in the inaugural global competition - was instrumental in spearheading the hosts in attack. The menacing forward flew down the right wing before crossing perfectly for Hannah Martin to convert from close range for Britain’s first after 23 minutes played.
The Black Sticks had a goal ruled out moments before, a stick tackle the culprit for a disallowed goal after Alia Jacques had smashed the ball into the danger zone, but the visitors looked static compared to the fiery red shirts channelling the ball into wider flanks around them.
Owsley doubled her side’s lead shortly after the half-hour mark, the University of Birmingham player unleashing a ferocious outside stick shot to send the South West London stadium into a deafening roar and before the third quarter drew to a close, she swept home for her side’s third after a well-worked penalty corner. Susannah Townsend and Lizzie Neal were unlucky not to extend Britain’s advantage, while the gloved hand of New Zealand goalkeeper Sally Rutherford kept out Giselle Ansley’s swooping flick.
Despite their lacklustre start to Pro League life, Great Britain’s willingness to blood a handful of young players in the inaugural global competition will offer some comfort to Hager and his backroom staff. Newcomers Izzy Petter and Esme Burge - who are 18 and 19 respectively - have impressed on the international stage since making their debuts, while Holly Hunt, Alex Malzer and Neal have also earned the plaudits of the Australian head coach.
Pearne-Webb added: “It has been very challenging at times and trying to see the bigger picture in terms of having a new coach, a really young squad. I think those girls who have come up from the elite development programme have been amazing for us. You wouldn’t have thought they’ve got only five or six caps.
“They’ve stepped in have looked natural which is exciting, because they’re only going to grow from here.
“It’s part of the legacy that the girls before us have built, from the London 2012 Olympics, with people watching the game and then following our success in Rio. It’s got more young girls into the sport and more girls wanting to play the sport and I think that’s incredible.”
Six of Britain’s Olympic gold medallists started on the pioneering pop-up turf, among them, goalkeeper Maddie Hinch, who made only her second appearance since returning after an indefinite break from international level. The three-time world goalkeeper of the year made several vital stops as New Zealand looked for a way back, but could not keep out Olivia Merry’s 44th minute shot. A comeback looked on the cards when Megan Hull’s late penalty corner strike found the bottom right-hand corner, but a video review deemed the ball was received inside the circle as Britain closed out proceedings.
For Britain, this triumph was a far cry from the 5-1 drubbing the Black Sticks inflicted over them in Christchurch in a rude awakening for Hager during his first game in charge back in February. Relieved to finish the campaign on a high, Owlsley believes Great Britain have turned a corner.
“Under Mark now we’ve become very settled,” the 24-year-old said. “We’ve learnt a lot and I think he’s absolutely phenomenal. It’s a really exciting time for us as a team and I’m definitely looking to keep carrying on this form and getting better and better.
“Mark was open and clear when he came in. He said he was going to change a lot of people, change a lot of positions, change the format, structure and that’s something that teams take years to build.
“I feel like loose ends are being tied together and we’re all behind Mark now. We all have the belief in him and we have the belief in this team.”
