Supplied Content
Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 11, 2017
The Vantage Black Sticks Women have been beaten 2-1 by hosts Spain in the first of four tests in Barcelona.
It was a challenging match for the Kiwis, who arrived in the heat of Europe just two days earlier.
Spain controlled much of the match in front of a vocal home crowd, in a clash which marked 25 years since the Spanish won an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Games.
The hosts started well and opened the scoring in the 15th minute through a reverse shot at goal from Belen Iglesias.
The second quarter was much tighter and after Spain doubled their lead, the Black Sticks responded thanks to a Kirsten Pearce field goal in the 20th minute.
New Zealand battled hard in the second half but were unable to convert any chances into points in a goalless 30 minutes of play.
Black Sticks assistant coach Sean Dancer said it was a scrappy performance in tough conditions.
“Spain dominated large patches of the game today and as a team we were unable to control them well. We are looking forward to resting up, re-grouping and coming out with something to prove for tomorrow’s challenge,” he said.
The Vantage Black Sticks play Spain in the second test at 6am Monday morning (NZT).
The four-test series is part of New Zealand’s build-up for the FIH World League Semifinal in Brussels from June 21 to July 2, 2017.
Vantage Black Sticks 1: (Kirsten Pearce)
Spain 2: (Belen Iglesias, Berta Bonastre)
Halftime: Spain 2-1
*
Source: Hockey
Picture by photosport.co.nz
