The Canadian Women’s Field Hockey Team dropped its second straight match at the World League Semifinals losing 6-0 to the tournament’s top team, Argentina, Thursday in Spain.
Following an opening match loss to China on Wednesday, the tournament didn’t get any easier for the Canadians when facing their Pan American rival.
Argentina was playing its first game of the tournament and was looking to make a statement in Pool A.
“It’s always difficult the first match of the tournament,” said Argentina’s Carla Rebecchi, who scored once during Thursday’s win. “We opened the score quite early so that was good for us.”
Argentina managed to score twice in the first quarter. First a turnover forced by Rebecchi resulted in the Argentinian going in one-on-one with Canadian goalkeeper Kaitlyn Williams, who made the save in close but couldn’t stop the rebound from Florencia Habif in the eleventh minute.
Three minutes later, Agustina Albertarrio scored her first of three goals on the day on a penalty corner. Her first drag flick was stopped on the goal line by Canada’s Abigail Raye, but the second attempt was placed low in the bottom right corner.
Argentina doubled its 2-0 lead before half-time.
In the second quarter, Noel Barrionuevo also snuck a low shot in past Williams on a penalty corner in the twenty-fourth minute, and Albertarrio got her second of the game a minute later to make it 4-0 at half-time.
After Rebecchi scored in the thirty-sixth minute, Albertarrio netted her hat trick in the forty-second. The two third-quarter goals put Argentina up 6-0.
Canada did push back in the fourth quarter, not wanting to concede more in a tournament which places a strong emphasis on goal differential.
Their best chances of the game came in quick succession in the fourth quarter. Thea Culley’s deflection in close was turned away by the Argentinian goalkeeper Belen Succi, who also batted away a chance moments later.
Despite a seemingly discouraging start, the first two matches have played out how many would have expected, with Canada having faced the top two teams in its group and two of the tournament’s top three ranked teams.
The Canadians have a chance to make up some ground in their next two matches when they face World No. 15 Spain – which is also winless through one game – on Saturday (10am PT/1pm ET), before finishing off the round robin Sunday (8am PT/11am ET) against World No. 8 Great Britain.
The top four finishers from each pool play earn a spot in the tournament quarterfinal.
All matches can be watched live on StarSports.com.
Click here for Canada’s full World League Semifinals schedule and results.