Pool E
Australia 1 defeated USA 0
Goals: AUS - Madonna Blyth PC 69m
Australia left it until their final attacking opportunity before finally overcoming USA 1-0 in a tense match to remain afloat in the semi final race.
Needing a victory to have any hope of a top two Pool E finish, Australia couldn't find a way through the USA defence until the second last minute when a blocked penalty corner hit fell Madonna Blyth to smash the ball high into the net.
After conceding a goal to lose to the Netherlands in their previous match, Australia persevered throughout and were rewarded with Blyth's goal just as it looked as though USA would hold on despite a furious final few minutes from the Oceania champions.
The match was a very even contest with both teams having good chances in a second haf that sparked to life after a flat first 35 minutes.
Despite the loss, USA still have a chance at semi finals action, with their fortunes likely to come down to a clash with Spain tomorrow.
Australia play England needing a win and results from the other Pool E matches to claim a semi final berth that seemed unlikely after their loss to the Dutch on Sunday night.
Netherlands 1 drew Spain 1
Goals: NED - Alessia Padalino PC 41m; ESP - Maria Romagosa PC 24m
Netherlands or Spain couldn't take advantange of an opportunity to go to the outright lead in Pool E and had to instead settle for 1-1 draw.
After USA had lost in the previous match, either team had an opportunity to take control of the Pool with maximum points, but were unable to capitalise.
After weathering early Netherlands pressure, Spain opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a Maria Ramagosa penalty corner strike.
The Dutch were the more attacking team for the larger portion of the match, but couldn't draw level until after half time with Alessia Padalino pouncing on a loose ball at a penalty corner to drive the ball into the net.
The result leaves both teams needing a victory tomorrow to ensure their semi final presence. A draw might also be enough, but that scenario will also depend on the other results in Pool E.
England 2 defeated Chile 1
Goals: ENG - Hayley Brown FG 16m; Rebecca Herbert FG 55m; CHI - Carolina Garcia PS, 13m
Rebecca Herbert broke a 1-1 draw late in the second half as England defeated Chile 2-1.
Thrilling another capacity crowd, Chile jumped on the scoreboard first when Denise Infante was pushed off the ball in the circle and Carolina Garcia converted the ensuing penalty stroke for a 1-0 Chile lead.
England stormed right back however when Hayley Brown connected on a field goal two minutes later to send the game into halftime deadlocked at 1-1.
After an evenly played second half, Herbert broke put England on top for good with a reverse stick off Chile keeper Constanza Abud for a 2-1 lead.
England then held off a frantic Chile attack in the final minutes to grab its first points of the second phase of the competition.
Pool F
Scotland 1 drew India 1
Goals: ECO - Kim MacGregor FG 68m; IND - Jasjeet Kaur Handa PC 57m
India conceded a late goal to Scotland in a 1-1 draw that officially eliminated them from the title race.
In a scrappy match highlighted by turnovers and basic skill errors, neither team could control the ball long enough to put pressure on the opposition.
India looked more dangerous in attack, forcing a couple of good saves from Scottish goalkeeper Catherine Rae, but didn’t have the necessary skill to put them in a comfortable position on the scoreboard.
After the match looked headed for a scoreless draw, both teams finally discovered their goal scoring touch. First, Indian captain Jasjeet Kaur Handa scored with a reverse stick deflection in the 57th minute before Scotland responded with less than three minutes left to draw level.
India’s tournament could have been much more productive given today’s result was their third draw in five matches. Ability to covert a higher percentage of their scoring opportunities would have them in strong contention for the semi finals instead of a likely spot in the 9-12 playoffs.
Korea 2 defeated South Africa 0
Goal: KOR - Jong Eun Kim FG 55m, Mi Young Park FG 67m
After another stuttering attacking effort, Korea scraped past South Africa 2-0 to be on the cusp of the semi finals.
Korea again dominated the match in general play but couldn’t make the most of their chances to end South Africa’s resistance. South Africa were pinned inside their own territory for almost all of the first half, but held Korea thanks to a combination of determination and luck.
South Africa goalkeeper Anna Botha was superb, repelling wave after wave of Korea attacks to keep her team in the match until the weight of possession told and her defence was breached in the 55th minute.
Korea then added another just before full time to improve their goal difference, a factor that might have a significant bearing on the top two finishers in Pool F
The loss ends South Africa’s chances of making the semi finals. They will likely play for positions 5-8 which is a fair indication of their standing in the tournament.
Germany 1 defeated Argentina 0
Goals: GER - Maike Stockel PC 8m
A solitary goal was enough for Germany to overcome Argentina and take a stanglehold on Pool F after a tough Pool F clash.
The winning goal was scored early in the match, with Maike Stockel drifting right from the penalty corner variation and withstanding a couple of attempted tackles before slotting the ball low into the opposite corner.
Argentina attacked relentlessly inthe second half but couldn't break down the German defence and must now rely on other results in their favour to avoid missing the semi finals for the first time since 1989.
Pool G
Belarus 3 defeated Canada 2
Goals: BLR - Natalia Varabyova FG 30m, FG 34m; Hanna Bahushevich FG, 48m; CAN - Robyn Pendleton FG, 25m; PC 62m
Natalia Varabyova scored two goals in the final five minutes of the first half to help lift Belarus to a 3-2 victory over Canada.
The win was the first of the tournament for Belarus in the pool to decide the 13th-16th place finishers.
Canada's Robyn Pendleton scored the first of her two goals on the day in the 25th minute to give Canada a short-lived lead. Five minutes later, Varabyova connected on a field goal and added the go-ahead goal just before time expired to give Belarus a 2-1 halftime lead.
Hanna Bahushevich added to the Belarus lead in the 48th minute before Pendleton scored the second of her two goals to pull Canada to within 3-2.
Canada furiously scrambled in an attempt to equalize in the final eight minutes of the game, but Belarus held on for its first victory.
The two teams could meet again when Pool G continues into its 13th-16th crossover and classification phases on Friday.
China 1 defeated Zimbabwe 0
Goals: CHN - Zhao Lixin FG 54m
Zhao Lixin scored the game's only goal with 16 minutes left in the match to give China a 1-0 win over Zimbabwe in the pool to decide 13th-16th place.
After a scoreless first half, Zhao gave China the only goal it would need with a field goal past Zimbabwe keeper Sarah Bennett.
The win puts China atop the Pool G standings while Zimbabwe fell to its fifth straight shutout loss at the tournament.
