The Women Play For History

With the Dutch men having captured gold one day earlier, there was excitement in the air with the Dutch women playing for gold on Friday. Standing in their way, however, was a Chinese team that had defied the odds by beating some of the best teams on the planet to reach the gold medal final. In the bronze medal game, Argentina would meet Belgium as two of the top teams to take the pitch would meet with one going home empty-handed. Make no mistake that these four teams had earned their way here, and it was time to see what medals they would earn through solid play on the final day of the event at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games!

WOMEN'S BRONZE MEDAL GAME

ARGENTINA vs. BELGIUM: Argentina had come third twice before at the Olympics with those wins coming in 2004 and 2008, but they had never met Belgium with a medal on the line. Belgium was playing for their first medal of any colour after qualifying for the Olympics only once before in 2012. Would Argentina, who had medaled in five of the last six Olympics, use their experience to beat the Belgians or could Belgium defeat the Pan-American champions for their first podium finish ever at the Olympics?

A fairly conservative early part of the first quarter by both sides turned into a 1-0 lead for Belgium when Emma Puvrez snuck a flick inside the post off a deflected shot at the eight-minute mark. Neither side would find another goal in the opening quarter, but things began picking up before the horn with both sides pressing for goals.

A far less accurate second quarter saw passes missed and physical play ramped up, and it resulted in a few more goals. Argentina converted a penalty corner as Agustina Gorzelany scored in the 22nd minute, and Argentina would go up 2-1 when a loose ball following a handful of saves by Belgian goalkeeper Aisling D'Hooge was netted by Agustina Albertario in the 27th minute. Less than a minute later, the Belgians returned the favour when a loose ball in front of Argentinian goalie Cristina Cosentino was flicked home by Justine Rasir in the 27th minute as well to make it 2-2! That score would hold through to halftime, and we'd go into the break with no clear indication as to who may secure the bronze medal.

The third quarter gave us no additional evidence that either side was a clear favorite for a medal as both sides played fairly even hockey. The 2-2 score held through the third quarter despite chances on both sides, sending us into a fourth quarter where the solid defensive play continued. As both sides looked for goals, the final horn would sound on this match, sending us to a penalty shootout for the bronze medal!

Argentina's Lara Casas would score on the first attempt while Belgium's Charlotte Englebert was denied. Both shooters in the second round would be stopped, and both Zoe María Díaz de Armas and Justine Rasir would score on the third attempts for both teams, pushing the shootout to 2-1 in favour of Argentina.

Sofía Cairo would score for Argentina to put all the pressure on Belgium with a 3-1 score and two shooters to go, and Cosentino would come up big to deny Stéphanie Vanden Borre as Argentina captured the bronze medal with a 3-1 shootout score! Argentina would stand on the podium for the sixth time in seventh Olympiads while Belgium would finish in fourth-place in their best finish to date at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games!

WOMEN'S GOLD MEDAL GAME

NETHERLANDS vs. CHINA: This game was a rematch of the 2008 Olympic gold medal game, and that match saw the Dutch prevail by a 2-0 score over the Chinese. Playing in their sixth-straight gold medal final, the Dutch women had all the experience in this game as they looked for their fifth gold medal since 2008. Their only miss came in 2016 when Great Britain upended the Dutch, and China was looking to do the same in this game. China had never won a gold medal in field hockey, and that 2008 silver medal was their best finish. Could they upset the Netherlands in this final?

Just as they had done all tournament, the Chinese weathered an early storm to strike first. He Jiangxin's centering pass found the stick of Chen Yi for a redirection, and that ball eluded Anne Veenendaal at the six-minute mark to put China up 1-0. The Dutch rallied to find their chances and push the ball down the pitch, but the Chinese defence held strong through the remainder of the quarter. After the first stanza, China held the 1-0 lead.

The second quarter saw the Dutch continue its possession and shots-on-net dominance, but China was, again, relentless in their defensive recoveries to keep the Dutch off the scoreboard. The Dutch would press, and the Chinese would resist. The horn would sound on halftime between these two teams, and the Dutch found themselves in a spot they hadn't been in at halftime all tournament long: trailing. China carried that 1-0 lead into the break.

The third quarter saw a refocused Dutch team attack the Chinese circle again, but Chinese goalkeeper Ye Jiao was unshakable in front of her net. Shots were clearly in favour of the Dutch, but nothing had gotten through Ye Jiao as the last line of defence. Another 15 minutes came off the clock as the third quarter came to an end, and China still clung to their 1-0 lead despite the statistical imbalance.

It seemed like it was inevitable, but keeping the Dutch off the scoreboard for as long as China did deserves some kudos. However, they would finally capitalize on a penalty corner in the fourth quarter when Yibbi Jansen scored her ninth goal of the tournament - the most in the women's event - at the 51st minute to tie the game at 1-1! The Dutch, having that weight lifted off them, attacked with everything they had, but the Chinese defence held through to the final horn. At the end of regulation, this game was tied 1-1, meaning we needed another shootout to determine the gold medal winner!

The shootout began with Dutch defender Pien Sanders scored while China's first attempt by He Jiangxin was denied, putting the Netherlands up 1-0. The Dutch would go up by two goals when Maria Verschoor scored while Zou Meirong was stopped. The script flipped when Dutch shooter Freeke Moes was stopped, but China's Zhong Jiaqi scored to make it 2-1 with two shooters to go. Marijn Veen was the next Dutch shooter, and she put the pressure on China with her goal to make it 3-1. China had to score, but Ma Ning was stopped by Veenendaal as the Dutch celebration began! The Netherlands had captured the gold medal with the 3-1 shootout win while China earned the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games!

I'll say it again - I don't think that any medals should be won in a team sport by individual goal-scoring talents, but that's how all three medals were determined today. It's absolutely heartbreaking that China's defensive effort was negated by the shootout, but they deserve a pile of kudos for how they played in this tournament. The same goes for Belgium who fell just short to Argentina in just their second appearance at the Olympics. All four teams were excellent competitors in this event, and they all deserve congratulations!

With the medals awarded, the final standings in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic women's field hockey event are:

1. Netherlands - gold medalists
2. China - silver medalists
3. Argentina - bronze medalists
4. Belgium - fourth-place
5. Australia - eliminated in quarterfinals
6. Germany - eliminated in quarterfinals
7. Spain - eliminated in quarterfinals
8. Great Britain - eliminated in quarterfinals
9. United States - eliminated in pool play
10. Japan - eliminated in pool play
11. South Africa - eliminated in pool play
12. France - eliminated in pool play

There was some history made as the Dutch women completed the first-ever gold-medal sweep in Olympics history with the men winning on Thursday and the women winning on Friday. They also became the first team to successfully three-peat as gold medalists, and they captured their Olympics-best sixth gold medal in field hockey since 1980. The Oranje have proven that they are, once again, the best field hockey team on the planet!

Let's not forget the other teams, though, as China equaled their best finish at the Olympics with a second silver medal. Argentina captured their sixth medal in the last seven Olympics and their third bronze medal in history, and Belgium finished in their highest position ever in just their second Olympics appearance. The ladies from each of these countries deserve congratulations as well!

Congratulations to all twelve teams who qualified to play in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games, and a big shoutout to bronze medal-winning Argentina, silver medal-winning China, and especially to gold medal-winning Netherlands who proved they are the most dominant team in the game! Los Angeles in 2028 will be the next edition of the Summer Olympics, so we'll see if the Netherlands can continue their successes in both the men's and women's tournaments at that time!

Until Los Angeles in 2028, keep your sticks on the pitch!

The Men Play For Medals

It seems like summer is speeding past us once again as we're into the final days of the 2024 Paris Olympiad despite it feeling like it just started. In saying that, the field hockey events for both the men and women drew to a close yesterday and today, and that meant that medals were being handed out to three nations in each tournament. Of course, four nations were competing on both sides when it came to winning medals, so two teams would go home empty-handed despite making it to the final day of the event. Who stood atop the podiums? Let's find out as the 2024 Paris Olympic field hockey events ended today!

MEN'S BRONZE MEDAL GAME

INDIA vs. SPAIN: India entered the game as the reigning bronze medalists from Tokyo, and they were looking to lock down another medal for their country. Spain, however, was looking to claim a spot on the podium for the first time since 2012. Nothing would come easy for these two medal-hopeful nations, but a bronze medal hung in the balanace for the winner as this game got underway.

The opening quarter saw both sides moving the ball as best as they could while the defence held. We'd see our first score in the second quarter when Spain scored in the 18th minute as Marc Miralles put a penalty shot past Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh after Manpreet Singh obstructed fellow midfielder Gerard Clapes in the circle.

With Spain leading 1-0, the pressure was on India to mount some offence while maintaining their solid defensive structure. Both sides would continue to seek chances, and India would finally break through moments before halftime when Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty corner in the 30th minute past Spanish netminder Luis Calzado to send this game into the break tied at 1-1!.

India moved quickly in the third quarter to gain a lead. Harmanpreet Singh converted another penalty corner in the 33rd minute with his tenth goal of these Olympics, putting India up 2-1. With Spain needing a goal, the action on the pitch intensified with both sides playing more physical. There were collisions, there were blocked shots, and there were stoppages as players shook off the physicality, but India still lead 2-1 after three quarters of play.

India continued to thrwart the Spanish attack in the final quarter. Spain opted to pull Calzado in the 56th minute to press for the equalizer, and their attack saw them earn a handful of penalty corners as the clocked ticked towards the final horn. Despite Spain's repeated attempts, Sreejech stood tall in India's net to preserve the 2-1 victory at the final horn! India is the bronze medalist while Spain claims fourth-place at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games!

MEN'S GOLD MEDAL GAME

NETHERLANDS vs. GERMANY: If there was a game that may define the sport, the top-two teams in men's field hockey met for the gold medal in Colombes, France on Thursday. The Germans had already defeated the Dutch 1-0 in pool play back on July 31 off a Niklas Wellen goal at the three-minute mark, so they were looking to make it two wins against Netherlands in France. The Netherlands were hunting for their first gold medal since 2000 with a win over the Germans while Germany was looking to stand atop the podium for the first time since 2012. If you tuned into this game, you were treated to a spectacular match that featured a little bit of everything!

A first quarter saw neither side find the back of the net, but there were chances as both sides moved the ball efficiently while their defences took shooting chances away. One quarter of 0-0 hockey quickly turned into two quarters as neither side could beat the other's goalkeeper. Despite the Netherlands having more chances inside the circle, we'd go to the break with the 0-0 draw intact.

The third quarter started like the previous two, but we'd get a little fun at the 3:28 mark when an unexpected sprinkler interruption broke out along the sidelines, but it was quickly controlled after a couple of minutes of spray. It should be noted that the games were played on the Poligras Paris GT zero field hockey turf system which was "made from 80% biobased material, primarily sugarcane". Due to the design, the field was hardly affected by the water break, and play resumed after the sprinkler was under control.

Despite the break, neither side would find the goal in the third quarter, so we'd start the fourth quarter at 0-0 and needing a goal. We'd finally see one in the 46th minute when Koen Bijen chipped a ball through the air that pulled German goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg out of the net, giving Thierry Brinkman enough room to deflect the ball into the unguarded net to put the Dutch up 1-0!

It was almost a 2-0 lead moments later, but German defender Gonzalo Peillat made a crucial save to keep it a one-goal game. That lead lasted less than four minutes, though, as Germany responded off a penalty corner. Thies Prinz won a battle and pushed the ball across the line off the penalty corner in the 50th minute, and Germany was back in this game with the 1-1 equalizer. The two teams played the final ten minutes with far more urgency as both wanted the gold medal. We nearly had a Dutch celebration in the final minute, but Jip Janssen's penalty corner shot missed wide left, allowing the time to expire as the horn sounded. With the game tied at 1-1, we needed a penalty shootout to determine a winner!

The first two shooters for either nation were denied on their penalty strokes, making this a best-of-three penalty shootout. Thierry Brinkman would score for the Dutch on their third stroke while Dutch goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak made a crucial stop on Thies Prinz. Thies Van Dam put the Netherlands up by a pair of goals, but Justus Weigand scored to keep the Germans' hopes alive.

With one shooter remaining, the Germans needed a stop as Duco Telgenkamp strode onto the pitch, and he broke in on his attempt, went to his left, and flicked the ball up past the lunging Danneberg into the net as the Dutch celebration poured onto the field with the 3-1 shootout victory! With the win, the Netherlands are your Olympic gold medalists while the Germans capture the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games!

Look, I don't think that any medals should be won in a team sport by individual goal-scoring talents, but that's how this one played out. Does it suck for Germany? Absolutely, but I'll take nothing away from them. They had an incredible Olympic tournament that was tarnished by losing the final game in the event. Does it make their efforts any less impressive? Not in my books.

With the medals awarded, the final standings in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic men's field hockey event are:

1. Netherlands - gold medalists
2. Germany - silver medalists
3. India - bronze medalists
4. Spain - fourth-place
5. Belgium - eliminated in quarterfinals
6. Australia - eliminated in quarterfinals
7. Great Britain - eliminated in quarterfinals
8. Argentina - eliminated in quarterfinals
9. South Africa - eliminated in pool play
10. Ireland - eliminated in pool play
11. France - eliminated in pool play
12. New Zealand - eliminated in pool play

Congratulations to all twelve teams who qualified to play in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games, and a big shoutout to bronze medal-winning India, silver medal-winning Germany, and especially to gold medal-winning Netherlands who won their first gold medal in 24 years and set up the possibility of having two field hockey gold medals won by the same country! That's something that's never happened before in the Olympic field hockey competition since the women's event began in 1980, so we could be treated to a little history with the women's results! We'll take a look at those tomorrow here on HBIC!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the pitch!

Four For Medals

It was an off day for the men at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games' field hockey event, so it was all about the women on Wednesday with two semifinal matches determining who would play for the gold medal and bronze medal on Friday. Potentially, the top-two teams from Pool A could make the final, but the second- and third-placed teams in Pool B were going to give it their best shot as well. What should make the International Hockey Federaton (FIH) happy is that the top-three teams on the planet as per their rankings were playing for a shot at Olympic gold, so it seems pretty clear that the rankings system works on the women's side of the event. In any case, let's find out which nations have a shot a being golden in Paris with the women's seminfinals played today!

Before we get to the match information, I received an email that asked why I wasn't posting highlights or images from the games being played in Paris. The answer is pretty straight-forward: I'm not accredited in any way nor am I working for any of the media or networks who are, so use of any highlights or pictures would mean the Paris Olympic Games could demand I pull them down.

I completely understand why they want to protect those images and highlights, so I opted not to post any of them right at the beginning of the week to avoid any discipline. In short, I didn't want trouble, so I didn't go looking to make it. I hope that explains why there are a lack of images and highlights when it comes to the action in Paris. I just don't need that hassle. However, on to the games!

NETHERLANDS vs. ARGENTINA: The top-two teams ranked by the FIH met in the first semifinal in a rematch of the 2020 Olympic gold medal final which was won by the Dutch women in a 3-1 victory. The opening quarter saw the Argentinians buying into the idea that shots from anywhere might be their best strategy, but the Dutch were quick to defend while holding a clear possession lead.

With a 0-0 game entering the second quarter, we'd get our first score when Luna Fokke, off the bench in this quarter, got behind the Argentina defence on the right side and chipped home a goal at the 21st minute for a 1-0 Netherlands lead. She'd be instrumental in the Dutch going up 2-0 in the 26th minute as well when her cross-field pass deflected off Laura Nunnink's stick and into the net. At the halftime break, Netherlands led 2-0 over Argentina.

The Dutch extended their lead to three goals when Yibbi Jansen's penalty corner in the 35th minute found room past Cristina Cosentino, and the Dutch showed why they're as dominant as they are over the remainder of the game when it came to possession and controlling the pace. At the final horn, the top-ranked team on the planet in the Netherlands had booked a spot in their fifth-straight gold medal match at the Olympics with the 3-0 win.

BELGIUM vs. CHINA: It was pretty clear that one side was playing a better overall game that the other through the first quarter, but the game remained 0-0 despite Belgium having most of the statistical leads. China has thrived on beating teams with opportunistic scoring, though, and they would see that in the second quarter when Zou Meirong capitalized on a ball that got through Belgian goalkeeper Aisling D'Hooghe after a penalty corner for the 1-0 lead. That score would carry into halftime as the Belgians, despite looking the better team, simply could not find a goal in the half.

The Chinese defence that held the Australians at bay two days earlier was on display once again in the third quarter as the Belgian attack was thwarted time and again by a relentless Chinese team. However, Emma Puvrez would finally break through the defensive stance with a successful penalty corner in the 59th minute to tie the game at 1-1! It appeared we were off to a shootout, but a little drama broke out late as China's Fan Yunxia drew a yellow card as time expired for shooting the ball into the shins of a Belgian defender. Would that show of frustration affect the Chinese in the shootout?

Charlotte Englebert would score on Belgium's first penalty stroke while Chen Yang was denied as Belgium grabbed the 1-0 lead. Both teams would score on their second attempts, pushing the score to 2-1 in favour of the Belgians. Ambre Ballenghien would be stopped, but Zou Meirong would even the penalty shootout at 2-2 with her goal. Justine Rasir was stopped on the fourth penalty stroke by the Belgians, and China put the pressure on them after Ma Ning was successful on her penalty stroke to make it 3-2 for China.

Daphne-Delphine Marien had to score on Belgium's fifth and final shot to keep the shootout going, but she was turned aside by Ye Jiao as China claimed the 3-2 win in the penalty shootout! China will play for gold on Friday while the Belgians move to the bronze medal game!

As stated from the recaps above, it will be the four-time Olympic gold medalists in the Netherlands playing the upstart, relentless Chinese in the gold medal game on Friday while Argentina and Belgium will meet for the bronze medal as the podium finishes will be determined! Over on the men's side, we'll see the final games played tomorrow with the Netherlands will play Germany in a rematch of the 2012 London Olympic Games with the Dutch looking set the stage for double gold medals in its match while India will meet Spain with India looking to claim their second-straight bronze medal. With The Hockey Show being on the air tomorrow, there will be a show preview, but we'll recap the men's and women's matches on Friday here on HBIC as medals will be handed out!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Catching Up On Hockey Action

Things are moving along at the field hockey event in Paris as the women wrapped up their quarterfinal games on Monday evening while the men got their semifinal games completed on Tuesday. Several countries had both their men's and women's teams playing in the medal rounds, so there was a chance at bringing home gold medals in both events for those countries. Keep an eye on Yibbi Jensen of the Netherlands as she leads the women's tournament with seven goals while India's Harmanpreet Singh had seven goals as his team advanced to the semifinals. Both of those players could be key in their teams advancing deeper into the tournament with semifinal berths on the line for the women and medal-placement games for the men on the schedule, so let's find out who did what in Paris, France!

WOMEN'S QUARTERFINALS

AUSTRALIA vs. CHINA: We'll start with Australia and China where the Australians got the scoring started just ten minutes in when Alice Arnott scored on a penalty corner rebound. One minute later, things were evened up at 1-1 after Ma Ning found the net on a penalty corner. Dan Wen made it a 2-1 game before halftime in the 25th minute, and China may have surprised the top team in Pool B through the opening half with their relentless play.

Zhong Jiaqi put the Chinese women up by a pair of goals when she potted a rebound in the 35th minute, but Tatum Stewart would cut the deficit to one for Australia when she scored in the 45th minute. China mounted an impressive defensive display in the final quarter as they shut down Australia at every turn, and the first upset of the day went to China as they defeated the Australians by a 3-2 score.

ARGENTINA vs. GERMANY: A gritty battle started this game as neither side was willing to concede an inch without putting up a fight. Despite a few opportunities for either side, we'd hit the halftime break still tied at 0-0. In fact, we'd have play through to the final three minutes of the game before Germany’s Viktoria Huse got tangled up with the Argentinian netminder, resulting in a penalty stroke. She would convert to put Germany up 1-0, but we weren't done there. Eugenia Trinchinetti tied the game on a penalty corner in the 59th minute, and this game would head to a shootout with the score standing at a 1-1 count.

After the opening shooters were denied on the first attempts, Germany's Huse would be denied on her attempt while Argentina's Julieta Jankunas scored to put the Argentinians ahead. Jette Fleschütz was also denied on her penalty stroke, and Argentina would put all the pressure on Germany after Zoe Diaz scored to make it 2-0 in the shootout. Argentinian netminder Cristina Cosentino would deny Sonja Zimmermann on her attempt, and Argentina would advance on that 2-0 shootout score with Germany only having one shooter left.

NETHERLANDS vs. GREAT BRITAIN: The 2020 gold medalists didn't waste any time in this one as Xan de Waard put the Dutch women up 1-0 just 45 seconds into the match. Hannah French would even the game in the 20th minute off a penalty corner, but the Dutch squad went into the break up 2-1 after Luna Fokke found the net in the final minute of the first half.

The Oranje would continue their possession game as they controlled the third quarter, but couldn't find the net. Fokke would score in the 46th minute, though, to put the Dutch up 3-1, and they simply ran the clock out on the British with their ball control and steady defence. The Netherlands will advance to the semifinal on Wednesday with the 3-1 win over Great Britain.

BELGIUM vs. SPAIN: Another closely-contested match through the first half saw few scoring opportunities given and a total of zero goals scored as the two nations went into halftime still tied at 0-0. The third quarter of the game continued that trend as it was 0-0 after 45 minutes, but the Belgians would finally break the stalemate when Delphine-Daphne Marien flicked home a ball from the top of the circle off a gorgeous passing sequence at the 46th minute.

Three minutes later, a penalty corner for the Belgian women saw Charlotte Englebert on the receiving end of the play as she scored to make it 2-0. That's how this one would finish as the Belgians advance past Spain on that 2-0 result.

With those results in the books, the Netherlands will face Argentina in one semifinal match while Belgium and China will meet in the second semifinal game as those four nations will now play for medals!

MEN'S SEMIFINALS

NETHERLANDS vs. SPAIN: On paper, this looked like a mismatch, but the Spanish side showed they weren't going to let world rankings determine how they played as they were the more aggressive team through the first half. However, the Dutch men were on their game when they found chances as Jip Janssen scored on a penalty corner in the 12th minute to give Netherlands the 1-0 lead in the first quarter. Thierry Brinkman would double the lead at the 20th minute when he corralled a rebound and went high for the 2-0 lead that carried into the halftime break.

Thijs van Dam would make it a three-goal lead with his marker at the 32nd minute, and the Dutch would claim goals in all four quarters after Duco Telgenkamp scored in the 50th minute. That four-goal lead was more than enough for the Dutch on this day as the Netherlands advance to the gold medal game with a 4-0 over Spain who will play for the bronze medal.

GERMANY vs. INDIA: These two teams met for the bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics where India claimed victory. Would we see that happen again? It appeared to start that way when Harmanpreet Singh fired a shot from the edge of the circle off a penalty corner in the seventh minute that went off the German goalie and into the net, giving India the 1-0 lead.

Germany weathered that storm, though, as they cleaned up their game, and it paid off in the second quarter when Gonzalo Peillat scored off a penalty corner in the 18th minute to make it 1-1. And Germany would take the lead into the halftime break after Christopher Rühr's penalty stroke in the 27th minute found the netting for the 2-1 lead.

India would square the game up at 2-2 off a penalty corner converted by Sukhjeet Singh in the 36th minute, and we'd enter the fourth quarter with that 2-2 score still holding. The action went up and down the pitch before Marco Miltkau hammered a ball from the right side of the circle and into the net in the 54th minute to put the Germans up 3-2! Despite trying everything they could to find an equalizer, India would see the time run out on them as Germany advanced to the gold medal game with their 3-2 victory.

As a result of the games, we know that the Netherlands will play Germany in a rematch of the 2012 London Olympic Games final where Germany claimed a 2-1 win. The bronze medal match will see India and Spain with India looking to claim their second-straight bronze medal while Spain looks for a podium finish in men's field hockey for the first time since 2008. Those should be exciting matches!

More results coming up this week on HBIC as we get closer to seeing which nations stand atop the podiums for men's and women's field hockey. The action has been fantastic so far, and we have the biggest matches yet to come which should feature some of the best hockey seen this summer. Make sure you check your local listings for the gold medal and bronze medal matches in both tournaments!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the pitch!

Pool Play Ends

If there's one thing that people ask me more often than not, it's what I do during the summer when it comes to both The Hockey Show and HBIC. My answer is always the same: there's still hockey being played or hockey business being done, so nothing stops. One of the best parts of Olympic years, however, is getting to bring the sport of field hockey onto the blog as the 2024 Summer Olympc Games have featured pool games throughout the last week. However, the pool games came to a close today as we prepare for the medal round in both men's and women's field hockey, so let's find out which countries are aiming for a spot on the podium and which countries gave it their all in Paris.

We'll start on the women's side of the tournament where the twelve teams closed out pool play on August 3 with quarterfinals scheduled to begin today. Four teams from each pool will advance.

POOL A

Country	Wins	Draws	Losses	Pts	GF	GA	GD	Place
Netherlands	5	0	0	15	19	5	+14	1st
Belgium	4	0	1	12	13	4	+9	2nd
Germany	3	0	2	9	12	7	+5	3rd
China	2	0	3	6	15	10	+5	4th
Japan	1	0	4	3	2	15	-13	5th
France	0	0	5	0	4	24	-20	6th

You may be wondering how Japan ended up in fifth-place in the pool with just two goals scored, and that's because they beat France 1-0 and scored one of the five goals surrendered by Netherlands in the tournament. There were no major blowouts in this pool as the biggest score was a 7-1 win by China over France in a meaningless game after Japan had lost earlier in the day, but all of Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and China will advance to the medal round.

POOL B

Country	Wins	Draws	Losses	Pts	GF	GA	GD	Place
Australia	4	1	0	13	15	5	+10	1st
Argentina	4	1	0	13	16	7	+9	2nd
Spain	2	1	2	7	6	7	-1	3rd
Great Britain	2	0	3	6	8	12	-4	4th
United States	1	1	3	4	5	13	-8	5th
South Africa	0	0	5	0	4	10	-6	6th

Both Australia and Argentina finished tied for points in the standings after they played to a 3-3 draw on August 1 that saw Australia score in the 60th minute to earn the draw, but the goal differential for Australia pushed them into first-place in the pool. Spain's 2-1 win over Great Britain and 1-1 draw with the Americans on back-to-back days helped them climb ahead of the British women for third-place, so it will be Australia, Argentina, Spain, and Great Britain moving on to the medal round. And we also know who will play whom!

With the crossover between the pools, we'll see the Netherlands play Great Britain, Argentina will face Germany, Belgium and Spain will meet, and China and Australia will play for a berth in the semifinals. Updates will be posted here on HBIC after the games are played today as we move through the medal round, so make sure you check back for information on which teams will play for medals!

The men wrapped up pool play on August 2, and four teams for each of the two pools would advance. Four teams would head home early from the event, but there was certainly some drama seen.

POOL A

Country	Wins	Draws	Losses	Pts	GF	GA	GD	Place
Germany	4	0	1	12	16	6	+10	1st
Netherlands	3	1	1	10	16	9	+7	2nd
Great Britain	2	2	1	8	11	7	+4	3rd
Spain	2	1	2	7	11	12	-1	4th
South Africa	1	1	3	4	11	17	-6	5th
France	0	1	4	1	8	22	-14	6th

The British men got off to a great start with a 4-0 win over Spain before Spain bounced back the next day with a win over Germany. It looked like this pool might be chaos, but things settled down as the games progressed. Spain may have missed an opportunity when they salvaged a 3-3 draw with France after trailing late while the British tied the Dutch 2-2 after trailing by two goals with eight minutes to play. At the end of pool play, we'll see Germany, Netherlands, Great Britain, and Spain playing for medals over the next week.

POOL B

Country	Wins	Draws	Losses	Pts	GF	GA	GD	Place
Belgium	4	1	0	13	15	7	+8	1st
India	3	1	1	10	10	7	+3	2nd
Australia	3	0	2	9	12	10	+2	3rd
Argentina	2	2	1	8	8	6	+2	4th
Ireland	1	0	4	3	4	9	-5	5th
New Zealand	0	0	5	0	4	14	-10	6th

Belgium made a statement with a 6-2 win over Australia, but the Argentinians found weaknesses after Belgium had to rally to earn a 3-3 tie on the final day of pool play. India might be the best defensive team in the pool as they didn't score more than three goals in any game while drawing Argentina 1-1 and falling to Belgium by 2-1 score. Australia beat Argentina 1-0 in their opening games of the tournament, and that helped Australia finish higher. The four teams moving on to the medal round include Belgium, India, Australia, and Argentina. Who will play whom? Read on!

The medal round began yesterday, so let's jump right into the results.

GERMANY vs. ARGENTINA: The Germans took a 2-1 lead into the halftime break, but a goal at the 48th minute by Agustin Mazilli evened things up at 2-2. However, Justus Weigand scored at the 54th minute to put Germany back in front, and they'd advance with the 3-2 victory in their quarterfinal game.

INDIA vs. GREAT BRITAIN: A 1-1 tie at halftime carried through to the final whistle as the two defensively-minded teams would need a penalty shootout to decide this quarterfinal. The first two shooters for both sides scored, but the third round saw Lalit Kumar Upadhyay score for India while Conor Williamson was denied for Great Britain. Round four saw Raj Kumar Pal put the pressure on Great Britain with his goal, and Phil Roper could not convert on his opportunity as India defeated Great Britain 4-2 on penalty strokes to advance.

NETHERLANDS vs. AUSTRALIA: A closely-contested match through the first half produced a 0-0 tie at halftime. However, Duco Telgenkamp and Thijs van Dam scored in the second half to push the Dutch to a 2-0 victory over the Australians to advance.

BELGIUM vs. SPAIN: Belgium and Spain played a very tight-checking opening half as they carried a 0-0 score into the break. In the second half, Spain went up 1-0 at the 40th minute before Belgium responded at the 41st minute to make it 1-1. In the 55th minute, Spain made it a 2-1 game before Marc Miralles put Belgium in all kinds of trouble with his goal at the 57th minute to make it 3-1 for Spain. Belgium would score in the 58th minute, but it wouldn't be enough as Spain upset the undefeated Belgians by a 3-2 score to advance!

The men's semifinal matches will be played on August 6, and we'll see Netherlands take on Spain while Germany gets India to decide who will play for gold and who will move to the bronze-medal game. Again, updates will be posted here on HBIC, so make sure you check back for all the results!

Medals will be handed out on August 8 for the men and August 9 for the women, and HBIC will watching to see who will stand atop the podium in Paris in 2024! Best of luck to all the remaining teams!

Until next time, keep your stick on the pitch!

The Women's Medal Matches

The final day of competition on the field hockey pitch was Friday where four nations still had some business to conduct when it came to medals. The men's matches wrapped up on Thursday with some rather entertaining games, so it was expected to be another amazing day on the pitch with Netherlands, Argentina, Great Britain, and India looking to decide their fates in Tokyo. The first pair of nations would battle for gold while the latter pair would battle for bronze, so let's find out who stands atop the women's field hockey mountain at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics!

BRONZE: Britain vs. India

These two Pool A teams met in the third match of this tournament where Great Britain earned a 4-1 win over India, but we saw the Indians play inspired hockey following that loss as they downed heavily-favoured Australia in the quarterfinal before falling just short in a 2-1 loss to the Argentinians in the semifinal. Great Britain ran into the Netherlands in the semifinal who made short work of the British, so both teams were looking to finish the tournament strong with a win!

Great Britain was the more aggressive of the two teams to start the match, pushing the pace downfield as they worked the ball around the pitch, but the Indian defence was patient and found opportunities to jump into passing lanes and poke balls off sticks. While the pace the two squads played at was noticeably different, the offensive chances were there for both teams. However, neither team could find the net from the circle in the first quarter, and we'd move to the second quarter still locked at 0-0.

The second quarter started with a quick goal as Elena Rayer got the ball on the right side, dribbled into the circle, and attempted a centering pass that went off Indian defender Grace Ekka and into the Indian net for an own goal at the 16th-minute mark to put Great Britain up 1-0! Britain would double their lead in the 24th minute following some great ball movement down the right side that saw Shona McCallin feed Sarah Robertson at the top of the circle, and her strike caught the inside of the post to land in the netting past Indian goalkeeper Savita to make it 2-0!

Much like the Indian men, the two goals scored by Great Britian seemed to awaken the Indian women as they earned a penalty corner in the 25th minute, and Gurjit Kaur would find the net off the setup to cut the lead to 2-1! Moments later, India earned another penalty corner, and it would be Gurjit Kaur scoring her second of the game off the conversion as India ties the game 2-2 in the 26th minute! And they weren't done as they continued to push before the half when a ball centered into the British circle pinballed around before Vandana Katariya flicked it past Maddie Hinch to make it 3-2 for India in the 29th minute! As the horn for halftime sounded, the Indians carried a 3-2 lead into the break as the British women looked to regroup following the three goals in four minutes.

The 35th minute would see Sarah Jones battle her way into the circle on the right side before centering it, and British captain Hollie Pearne-Webb would hammer it home past Savita to tie the game at 3-3 early in the third quarter! India would continue to press the British, but the British women seemed to rediscover their confidence as they pushed back often against India. The remainder of the third quarter would see no additional goals, so we'd head to the fourth quarter where possibly the next goal would decide the medal!

Great Britain would continue to push the pace injectionurth quarter, and they earned a penalty corner in the 48th minute. Off that corner, Grace Balsdon's drag-flick would find the net through the Indian defence, and Great Britain found themselves ahead by a 4-3 score! India pressed late into the game, but struggled to break through the British defence around the circle for a good chance. Savita remained in the net, strangely, as the Indians looked to equalize, but the final horn would sound with Great Britain securing the 4-3 victory and the bronze medal over India!

GOLD: Netherlands vs. Argentina

The best women's team on the planet whose record in the Olympic tournament was still unblemished faced the third-place team from Pool B in what appeared to be a mismatch on paper. Argentina did upset the Germans in the quarterfinals before eliminating India from gold-medal contention, but the road to the final had a few bumps for the South American nation. Netherlands, meanwhile, has steamrolled nearly everyone in their path to the final, so would we see the Dutch women continue their impressive run and leave Argentina in their wake?

The opening quarter seemed like both teams were looking for weaknesses in the other's defensive scheme as there were virtually no shots to speak of and the chances were minimal on both sides. With no shots, there were no goals, so we'd head to the second quarter still tied 0-0.

We'd see our first crack in the Argentian defence in the 23rd minute when a penalty corner was awarded to the Netherlands. Frederique Matla's drag-flick was deflected by Margot van Geffen on the way in and found room past Maria Succi in the Argentina net as the Netherlands took the 1-0 lead! They'd earn another penalty corner in the 26th minute, and Caia van Maasakker would drag-flick it into the right corner past the Argentinian defence for the 2-0 lead! And they'd keep coming at Argentina as a third penalty corner would find van Maasakker, and she goes low on the left side to make it 3-0 in the 29th minute of the game! Before the halftime break, though, Argentina would get a goal back as Agustina Gorzelany converted a penalty corner with 1.2 seconds remaining, and we'd head into the halftime break with Netherlands leading 3-1!

The third quarter felt a little like the first quarter in that neither side was willing to give up much ground to the other, but there were a handful of glorious opportunities on both side that went unfulfilled. Argentina looked, at times, dangerous, but Josine Koning was sharp in the Dutch net.

The fourth quarter was all about possession and pace as the Netherlands worked to control both in the final quarter knowing that they were fifteen minutes from their Olympic goal. The final two minutes felt more like an ice hockey game as any time that the Dutch felt threatened, they sent the ball down the pitch and out of trouble. It was puzzling to see Argentina leave Succi in the net when they needed a goal, but the final horn would sound on this game as the Netherlands defeated Argentina by the 3-1 score for the gold medal!

The following table shows how the remainder of the field finished.

FINAL STANDINGS

Rank	Country	2016 Finish
	Netherlands	2nd
	Argentina	7th
	Great Britain	1st
4th	India	12th
5th	Australia	6th
6th	Germany	3rd
7th	Spain	8th
8th	New Zealand	4th
9th	China	9th
10th	Ireland	DNQ
11th	Japan	10th
12th	South Africa	DNQ

Congratulations go out to all the teams, but especially to gold medalist Netherlands, silver medalist Argentina, and bronze medalist Great Britain along with the other nine teams for what proved to be a most amazing tournament by all standards!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Men's Medal Matches

There were six medals to hand out to the eight remaining field hockey teams over the course of Thursday and Friday as the Tokyo Olympic field hockey tournaments came to a close. The field was set, but it would take one remaining game from each of these eight teams to determine the colours of the medals they'd win if they could earn a win on the final dat of each tournament. Thursday saw the men decide the podium finishes while Friday was all about the women, so let's start with the men today as we close out this Olympiad, and I'll recap the women's matches tomorrow!

BRONZE: India vs. Germany

India hadn't medalled in 41 years while Germany was looking for a second-straight bronze-medal finish at the Olympics after finishing on the podium in Rio back in 2016. India, who finished last in that Rio tournament, has certainly shown all sorts of improvement from that 2016 Olympiad, so could they keep the momentum going in this tournament? We'll find out at the conclusion of sixty minutes of play!

Things got off to a fast pace, and it would Germany who capitalized early as the ball was played into the Indian circle where it was stopped by Surender Kumar, but his indecision allowed Timur Oruz to poke the ball off his stick and under Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran to give Germany the 1-0 lead just two minutes into this game! The frenetic pace would continue through the first quarter, but both goalkeepers stood tall while the defences played stout to send this game off at the break with that 1-0 German lead intact.

India would use a turnover early in the quarter to even things up when a long pass from Nilakanta Sharma landed on the stick of Simranjeet Singh at the top of the circle. It appeared that Germany had him well-covered, but Singh turned and let a strike fly that was on the mark, beating Alexander Stadler in the German net to even the game at 1-1 in the 17th minute!

That goal seemed to wake the Germans up as they began to pressure more, and they'd be rewarded in the 24th minute when Christopher Rühr found Niklas Wellen in the circle, and Wellen hammered home the goal to make it 2-1 for Germany. And they'd continue the assault on the Indian goal as Oruz would force a turnover on the goal line before centering to Benedikt Furk on the back post to make it 3-1 Germany one minute later!

Just as the goal against sparked Germany, India turned the tables on Germany with a quick strike of their own as Furk was whistled for a penalty corner in the 27th minute. Stadler made the initial save, but Hardik Singh came off the goal line as the injector to flick the loose ball past Stadler to cut the lead to 3-2 in favour of Germany. And the Indians, like the Germans, doubled-down on their goal-scoring prowess as Harmanpreet Singh fired a ball between Stadler and a defedner off a penalty corner in the 29th minute that tied the game at 3-3! With the game even at halftime, it would be a 30-minute game to decide the bronze medallists!

The second half started like the first half ended as India was scoring again! A push in the circle sent Rupinder Pal Singh to the penalty spot, and his flick to the left side of the goal found the netting as India took a 4-3 lead! Three minutes later, India turned the ball upfield quickly with a rush down the right side. Gurjant Singh would carry it into the circle and center for Simranjeet Singh who redirected the ball into the yawning cage to make it 5-3 for India in the 34th minute! India would continue to carry the pace, forcing Germany to play quicker than perhaps they like, and it often led to no attacks as Germany couldn't generate offence. The horn would sound, and we'd move to the fourth quarter with India leading 5-3 and fifteen minutes from a bronze medal!

Germany was the more aggressive team to start the quarter, and it would benefit them as they earned a penalty corner. Lukas Windfeder would convert on the opportunity in the 48th minute, and Germany had life with the score sitting at 5-4! Germany continued to push for an equalizer and they almost got caught a couple of times as India found chances, but Stadler was equal to those chances. Stadler was brought off by the Germans for the extra attacker with 4:30 to play - an eternity in field hockey time - as they needed that fifth goal at least.

There was all sorts of drama in the final minute. After a yellow card was given to India, the clock wasn't restarted as Germany played with an extra ten seconds of time. Once the clock finally started, the Germans earned a penalty corner with 6.8 seconds to play and needing a goal. Windfeder's strike, however, would be stopped and the ball bounced towards the sideline as the time ticked off, and India would claim the bronze medal with the 5-4 victory over Germany!

GOLD: Australia vs. Belgium

The FIH top-ranked team in Australia met the former top-ranked team and current second-ranked team Belgium as the gold-medal match was literally the best two teams on the planet meeting for Olympic supremacy. Australia came into this game 7-0-0 in this tournament while Belgium entered the match with a 6-0-1 record, their only blemish being a 2-2 tie in a meaningless final preliminary round game with Great Britain. With this game likely determining the FIH's top world ranking spot, who would emerge as the best of the best?

Knowing how explosive each of these teams can be in the offence departments, both Australia and Belgium played fairly uptempo despite the defences holding firm. Lots of balls sent towards the circles were intercepted or poked away while the teams moved the ball with precise passing around the circle and through the neutral zone. Neither side would find the net in the opening quarter, so we'd head to the second quarter still deadlocked in a 0-0 tie.

Andrew Charter was far busier in the second quarter in the Australian net as Belgium had a couple of great penalty corner chances, but the Kookaburra goalkeeper wouldn't surrender a goal. With Belgium carrying more of the play, the Australians looked like they were still searching for ways to break through the Belgian defence which was aggressive on every attempt the Aussies made. Like the first quarter, though, no goals would be seen, so we'd enter halftime still searching for the first lead in a 0-0 game.

Australia opened the second half playing very tenatively, and Belgium would press them to force a turnover. Off the reset, a long ball into the circle was redirected by Nicolas de Kerpel, but the redirect couldn't be wrangled by Charter and Florent van Aubel would flick the loose ball past the Australian goalkeeper to give Belgium the 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute! That goal opened things up a little as the Australians were forced to play with more urgency, and they began to find chances. The Belgians were content to respond as well, but you could see they wanted to keep that tight defensive zone coverage in place. At the horn, Belgium carried the 1-0 lead into the fourth quarter as they sat fifteen minutes from the gold medal!

The urgency was real in Australia's opening of the fourth quarter, and they would be rewarded in the 47th minute! After Australia got the ball into the circle, Aran Zalewski's shot was deflected high into the air, but Tom Wickham would tap it out of the air and into the back of the net as Belgian goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch had zero chance as Australia draws even 1-1! Both teams would settle back into their first-half forms as neither team was interested in surrendering a goal through the final 13 minutes, so the final horn would sound on a 1-1 draw which means the gold medal would be decided in the penalty shootout!

Australia's Blake Govers shot first, and he would be denied by Vanasch in the Belgian net. Florent van Aubel would step up for Belgium looking for the lead in the shootout, and he would convert on a spinning shot after Charter drifted too far to the left! Belgium leads 1-0 in the shootout!

Flynn Ogilvie looked to square things with the second Australia shot, and he would showed patience in outwaiting Vanasch in moving to the right where he found an angle to score to make it 1-1! Arthur de Sloover was the next Belgian shooter, and he'd get Charter moving the wrong way with a little juke upon where he hammered the ball into the open net to restore the lead for Belgium at 2-1!

Tim Brand would be the third shooter for the Kookaburras, and he deked left to right in forcing Vanasch out of position before burying the ball in the back of the net to tie the shootout at 2-2! Felix Denayer was called upon for Belgium, and his run into the circle saw the ball roll off his stick as Charter pushes it aside, so the shootout remained 2-2!

Joshua Simmonds was the fourth Australian shooter, and his approach saw him slow up which allowed Vanasch enough time to knock the ball away from Simmonds which caused the eight-second time limit to expire as the score held at 2-2! Victor Wegnez made his approach for the Belgians, but Charter made contact with Wegnez to force a penalty stroke! Alexander Hendrickx was chosen to take the penalty stroke, and his shot from the dot went high on the left side that Charter could not stop to put the Belgians up 3-2!

Jacob Whetton had to score with his shot to keep Australia alive, and, despite having the ball knocked away, he still got a shot away that beat Vanasch on the right side, but could not beat the post as Belgium wins the shootout by a 3-2 score meaning that Belgium is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medallist in men's field hockey!

The following table shows how the remainder of the field finished.

FINAL STANDINGS

Rank	Country	2016 Finish
	Belgium	2nd
	Australia	6th
	India	8th
4th	Germany	3rd
5th	Great Britain	9th
6th	Netherlands	4th
7th	Argentina	1st
8th	Spain	5th
9th	New Zealand	7th
10th	South Africa	DNQ
11th	Japan	DNQ
12th	Canada	11th

Congratulations go out to all the teams, but especially to gold medalist Belgium, silver medalist Australia, and bronze medalist India! An excellent tournament by all standards!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the pitch!

Field Hockey Semifinals

The semifinal matches at the Tokyo Olympics field hockey tournaments have been completed, and the ladies to the left showed why they're one of the most fearsome teams on the planet today. Most times, the Netherlands doesn't strike fear in the hearts of anyone, but, if you put them out on a field hockey pitch, there's bound to be goals scored of all varieties. It's why the Dutch women are ranked first-overall in the FIH World Rankings, and they were looking to live up to that billing in toay's match. Three other games were played as well, so let's check out the action from the semifinal games as gold-medal berths were on the line!

Belgium vs. India

We'll kick things off on the men's side of the tournament as their semifinal games were played on Tuesday, and first up was undefeated Belgium over the upstart India squad who had recorded an impressive win over Great Britain in the quarterfinals. Belgium is the second-overall team in the FIH rankings, so this would be a test for India. Could they play as well as they did on Sunday?

It was an easy lead for Belgium in this one as they jumped ahead off Loick Luypaert's penalty corner conversion in the second minute! Despite having the Belgians continue to press, India would get a goal off the penalty corner in the seventh minute when Harmanpreet Singh scored past goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch to make it 1-1. Just two minutes later, Mandeep Singh's flick would find the back of the net, and India was up 2-1 on Belgium through one quarter of play!

It would take the Belgians just four minutes into the second quarter to even the game as Alexander Hendrickx ripped his 12th goal of the tournament(!) to make it 2-2! The teams would battle back and forth for the remaining eleven minutes of the quarter with no other goals to report as Belgium and India went into the halftime break tied 2-2.

The third quarter would see nothing of note happen in the frame, so we'd go to the fourth quarter when the Belgium broke the deadlock in the 49th minute. Hendrickx would add his 13th goal of the tournament in converting this penalty corner, and Belgium took a 3-2 lead! Minutes later, Belgium was awarded a penalty stroke, and Hendrickx would net his 14th goal of the tournament as he approached the Olympic record of 17 goals in this game! In the final minute, Belgium would ice it with a handful of seconds left as John-John Dohman scored on the empty net as Belgium will play for gold while India will play for bronze following Belgium's 5-2 victory in the semifinal!

Australia vs. Germany

The undefeated Australians squared off against a German team that, at times, looked very shaky in the preliminary round, yet looked very composed against Argentina in the quarterfinal. Which Germany would we see as they battled the first-overall team in Australia as both teams looked to advance to the gold-medal final?

Just as Australia did against the Netherlands in the quarterfinal, they jumped out to an early lead as Tim Brand found the net behind German goalkeeper Alexander Stadler just seven minutes in for the 1-0 lead. Germany would respond, however, as Lukas Windfeder converted a penalty corner in the tenth minute to make it a 1-1 game. That even score would remain through the horn, and we'd move to the second quarter with both teams looking to take the lead.

It looked like this chess match would head into the break still even, but a late penalty corner in the 27th minute saw Blake Govers convert for Australia, and the Kookaburras took the 2-1 lead into the half! The top-ranked team had the lead going into the second half, but could they hold it against a German team who had looked very good through 30 minutes?

In one word: yes. The Germans pressed only to be turned away by the Australians time and time again while the Australians transitioned back up the pitch as Germany played well defensively. The third quarter saw that 2-1 score hold, so we'd head into the final frame with both teams still looking for goals. We'd finally see one in the 57th minute, and Australia would close out this game with a Lachlan Sharp goal as the Australians move on to play Belgium in the gold medal final while Australia would meet India for the bronze medal after the Kookaburras advanced on the 3-1 victory!

The women saw their semifinal matches played today, and, thanks to the upsets in Monday's quarterfinals, both third-seeds in the two pools and a fourth-seed in Pool A were still alive as three of the four semifinalists. Who would advance to play for the gold medal in the women's tournament?

Netherlands vs. Great Britain

A rematch from Pool A play where the Dutch got past the British by a 1-0 score, this game had a slightly different feeling. Nothing happened in the first quarter as both teams attacked unsuccessfully while defending well enough to keep their opponents off the board, so we'd move to the second quarter where things changed dramatically.

In the 19th minute, Netherlands moved the ball up the field with precise passing where it landed on the stick of Laurien Leurink. Leurink made one defender miss as the top of the circle before feeding Felice Albers on the left, and she made no mistake as she flicked the ball between the legs of Maddie Hinch for the 1-0 Dutch lead! Seconds later, the Dutch moved the ball around the British end with pinpoint passing once more, and Xan de Waard's found Marloes Keetles whose strike beat the outstretched leg of Hinch to put the Dutch up 2-0 before the 20-minute mark! The final ten minutes of the first half was played more like the first quarter, but the allowed the Netherlands to take the 2-0 lead they had built into halftime!

The second half began with the Dutch applying all sorts of pressure on the British, and it would result in a penalty corner that Maria Verschoor got a stick on for a gorgeous deflection that Hinch had no chance to save to give the Netherlands a 3-0 lead. The 39th minute would see Lidewij Welten deep in the corner of the British end, but she found enough room to fire a hard centering ball towards the goal where Albers would score her second of the game on another deflection as the Netherlands went up 4-0! In the 41st minute, Giselle Ansley finally broke the goose egg through a penalty corner strike, but Great Britain would need a big fourth quarter as they trailed 4-1 in this game.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be as the only goal scored was by the Netherlands, and Frederique Matla's strike hit Hinch, but she couldn't prevent the ball from crossing the line as the Dutch women restored their four-goal lead. When the final horn sounded the top FIH ranked team on the planet had earned the 5-1 win and their second-straight Olympic gold-medal berth while Great Britain will play in the bronze-medal match, following short in their pursuit of defending their 2016 gold medal.

Argentina vs. India

In a match that no one may have expected, the Argentinians - third in Pool B - would play India - fourth in Pool B - in the second semifinal. Argentina upset Germany with a rather spectacular game in their quarterfinal match while India shocked Australia despite being heavily outshot and outplayed for long periods of their quarterfinal game. Who would advance to face the Netherlands?

India's bend-don't-break defence got them a nice transition down the field to earn a penalty corner very early in this game, and it would pay off as Gurjit Kaur's strike found room past everyone as India led 1-0 just two minutes into the game! Argentina seemed to wake up after that early goal as they pushed back with their own chances, but that one-goal lead would hold to the break between quarters.

At the 18-minute mark after some solid offensive pressure, Argentina earned a penalty corner and Maria Barrionuevo would make no mistake as her flick found its way into the back of the net as the Argentinians evened the game at 1-1! Argentina would continue to press after the goal, but the Indian women wouldn't give up any other goals despite being under siege for most of the half. At the halftime break, the 1-1 game stood.

The back-and-forth continued into the second half, but we'd see Argentina take the lead on a second Maria Barrionuevo penalty corner that Indian goalkeeper Sativa had little chance on following a deflection off her own defender that have the Argentinians the 2-1 lead in the 38th minute! That score would hold through to the quarter break as the chess match between these two squads continued!

The fourth quarter saw the see-saw action continue as both sides looked to set up opportunities only to be denied by defensive play and the goalkeepers. Despite some desperation play in the final minutes by India as they pressed for an equalizer, Argentina will get a chance to capture a gold medal victory as they advance to the final with the 2-1 win over India, erasing a seventh-place finish in Rio, and India will play Great Britain for the bronze medal on Friday, removing any memory of a 12th-place finish in 2016!

The final field hockey article on Hockey Blog In Canada will happen on Friday as the Tokyo Olympics and the field hockey tournaments come to a close this weekend. This tournament has been rather incredible with the action and athleticism, and I hope you've taken the chance to catch some of the tournament. If you haven't, Thursday and Friday are your last chances to see the best field hockey teams on the planet play for medals!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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!