Field Hockey Quarterfinals

Eight teams remained alive in Tokyo in both the men's and women's field hockey event as the quarterfinal games were completed today for both sides. There would be no Canada, as mentioned in previous articles, as the Caribou fell short of their goal, but that doesn't mean we can't finish off the hunt for medals when it came to the rest of the field. The men set their semifinal matches on Sunday while the women cut the number of teams to four on Monday, and all the of the winners will have a chance to go home with a medal depending on future outcomes. Let's check out the action from the Oi Hockey Stadium as we close out the field hockey event at the Tokyo Olympics beginning with the men's side of the draw!

Germany vs. Argentina

Lukas Windfeder's penalty corner conversion was the only goal of the first half as Germany took the 1-0 lead into halftime following a very defensive half. Timm Herzbruch would make it 2-0 for Germany as he converted a penalty corner in the 40th minute. Windfeder would add a third penalty corner strike in the 48th minute before Argentina broke the shutout in the 52nd minute with a penalty corner goal from Maico Casella Schuth, but Germany advances to the semifinal on their 3-1 victory.

Australia vs. Netherlands

TJ Wickham put the Australians up 1-0 in the 13th minute with a nice strike past Pirmin Blaak, and Australia would carry that score into halftime despite looking like the more offensive team. Netherlands would come out of the gates quickly in the second half when Mink van der Weerden converted a penalty corner to tie the game in the 32nd minute at 1-1! That even score would be shortlived, though, as Wickham struck again with another goal to restore the one-goal lead for the Australians. In the 50th minute, Netherlands were awarded a penalty stroke, and Jeroen Hertzberger made no mistake with his flick past Australian goalkeeper Andrew Charter to make it a 2-2 game! When the horn sounded, that 2-2 tie remained, so it was off to a shootout to decide this game!

Charter stopped Hertzberger to avenge the earlier penalty stroke goal, and Australia's Blake Govers beat Blaak to put the Kookaburras up 1-0. Robbert Kemperman stepped into the circle for the Netherlands, but his shot went wide while Flynn Ogilvie made good on his shot to put the Kookaburras up 2-0. Jonas de Geus looked like he might have Charter at his mercy, but the ball went off his foot which ended his attempt. Tim Brand stepped up and went high over Blaak to give the Kookaburras the 3-0 shootout win, and Australia advances with their win over the Netherlands.

Belgium vs. Spain

An opening quarter with no scoring nearly saw it extend into a half, but the Spaniards were first to break the deadlock as David Alegre Biosca's strike in the 26th minute found the netting behind Belgian goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch to put Spain up 1-0! That score would hold through to halftime as the second-ranked team on the planet and Belgium found themselves trailing for the first time this tournament after one half.

However, that lead would be erased at the 38th minute when Alexander Hendrickx converted the penalty corner for Belgium to make it a 1-1 game. Minutes later, Belgium would be on the attack again when Tom Boon scored from a penalty corner to put the Belgians up 2-1! A final goal by Hendrickx with three minutes to play put this game on ice, and Belgium advances past Spain to the semifinal with a 3-1 victory!

India vs. Great Britain

I didn't talk much about India in the preliminary round, but keeping up with their scoring required first names in most cases as they feature nine players with the last name of Singh on their team! Needless to say, that came into play today as Dilpreet Singh's strike in the seventh minute got past British goalkeeper Oliver Payne to put India up 1-0. One minute after the second quarter began, Gurjant Singh beat Payne with a shot in the 16th minute, and India led this game 2-0. The score would hold through to halftime.

It looked like we'd see no scoring in the third quarter, but the British changed that in the 45th minute when Ian Ward found the net on a penalty corner to cut the Indian lead to 2-1, but a goal in the 57th minute by Hardik Singh would ice this game in favour of India as they advance to the semifinal in a 3-1 victory over Great Britain.

Let's also take a look at the women's bracket which decided its semifinalists today! Eight teams would be reduced to four, and both undefeated Australia and Netherlands looked to remain unbeaten!

Germany vs. Argentina

The other quarterfinal between these two nations featured the women, and we wouldn't see any scoring until the second quarter when we got two goals in quick fashion. Agustina Albertarrio's strike in the 27th minute found room past German goalkeeper Julia Sonntag as Argentina went up 1-0, and they struck again two minutes later when Maria Victoria Grannato converted a penalty corner as the Argentinians jumped out to a 2-0 lead before halftime while holding the German attack at bay.

The second half was played in much the same fashion as Argentina continually thwarted the Germans' attacks. In the 57th minute, Valentina Raposo Ruiz de los Llanos - who may have the longest name in the field hockey event ever - converted a penalty corner for a little more insurance as the Argentinians eliminated the Germans by a 3-0 score.

Australia vs. India

This game was entirely all about bend-don't-break for one team, and it wasn't the undefeated Australians. They threw everything they had at the Indians in this game, but came up frustrated all game long. Gurjit Kaur converted a penalty corner in the 22nd minute to put India up 1-0 before the half, and there was some shock heading into halftime as the Australians trailed after looking rather impenetrable through the preliminary round.

The waves of attacks from the Australians would continue in the second half, but the Indians received a goalkeeping performance of a lifetime from Sativa as she saved all nine shots sent on net out of the 14 balls sent at the Indian goal as the fourth-place team in Pool A shocks the tournament with a 1-0 win over Australia, ending their chances at a medal. India advances to the semifinal!

Netherlands vs. New Zealand

There was little time wasted by the Dutch in this game as they scored at the seven-minute mark when Lidewij Marsia Maria Welten's strike found the netting behind Kiwi goalkeeper Grace O'Hanlon for the 1-0 lead. Frederique Matla doubled the lead in the 21st minute in the second quarter when she scored off a penalty stroke that O'Hanlon couldn't handle. The Netherlands would go into halftime with the two-goal advantage in their favour as their suffocating defence really gave New Zealand zero chances in the first half.

The Dutch would add a third score in the 37th minute as they continued to be the dominant team on the pitch. Lauren Lara Jeanette Stam converted a penalty corner, and it was simply a matter of running out the clock for the Dutch at that point. They would do that without giving up a single shot from within the circle, and just four attempted shots from penalty corners all night by the Kiwis. The Netherlands look like the favourites heading into the semifinals with a complete 3-0 win over New Zealand.

Spain vs. Great Britain

Both teams tested the other in a scoreless opening quarter, but it would be Hannah Miller who would strike at the 17th minute, beating Spanish goalkeeper Maria de los Angeles Ruiz Castillo with a gorgeous strike between the wickets after beating two defenders. Spain would respond three minutes later, though, as Belen Iglesias Marcos deflected a penalty corner past Maddie Hinch to draw the game even at 1-1. That score would carry into halftime as neither side seemed keen on giving up an inch of turf.

Great Britain would retake the lead in the 37th minute when Grace Balsdon went high on Castillo with a penalty corner to put the British up 2-1. Spain, unrelenting, rallied back in the fourth quarter when Berta Bonastre Peremateu's flick in the circle in the 51st minute squared the game at 2-2. The final horn would sound on that unresolved score, so we'd move to the shootout to find a winner!

Hannah Martin and Sarah Jones scored for Great Britain in the shootout, but it was the goalkeeping of Maddie Hinch that had the stadium buzzing as she stopped all five Spanish shooters, some in rather athletic form, to help Great Britain defeat Spain, sending the British into the semifinal!

With those games completed, we now know who will play whom in the semifinal games for both the men's and women's tournaments. Below is the schedule for the semifinals. The men will play on Tuesday in Tokyo while the women will play on Wednesday as all the semifinalists will get a break for a day between matches. In saying that, your Tuesday men's semifinals are as follows:

• Belgium (1st - Pool B) vs. India (2nd - Pool A)
• Australia (1st - Pool A) vs. Germany (2nd - Pool B)

The women's side of the tournament, playing on Wednesday as mentioned above, will see the following matches:

• Netherlands (1st - Pool A) vs. Great Britain (3rd - Pool A)
• Argentina (3rd - Pool B) vs. India (4th - Pool A)

It seems like Australia and Belgium are destined to meet in the men's final with the winner being named as the top-team on the planet - a distinction Australia holds and from which Belgium recently slipped. The Netherlands appear to be the favourite on the women's side after their dominating win over New Zealand, but we shouldn't overlook the fact that Great Britain held Netherlands to one goal in a 1-0 loss in the preliminary round. And India's shocking defeat of Australia means they can't be overlooked either.

It's shaping up to be an exciting ending to both tournaments, so check your local listings for the semifinal games!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the pitch!