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XIXth Women’s Handball World Championship Match Reports |
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Read Report From |
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| December 15, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
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Australia played its Placement match today against Chile. This is the first time ever that Chile qualified for the World Championship. Nevertheless, it is a strong team as reflected by winning Bronze in the 2009 Pan-American Championship, which earned them a spot in this WC. Its qualifying match against the Dominican Republic went into two overtime plays – first overtime the score was 27 – 27, the second overtime result was 34 – 30. Australia had the throw off. The first attempts at goal by both teams were unsuccessful. Aussie Goalkeeper Cathy Kent saved a shot from the wing which fired up the Aussies. It was not until 3.57 game time that Chile scored the first goal in the match. The Aussies’ first goal was from a rebound on a penalty shot put away by Solveig Sorensen at 6.38 game time, score then being 1 – 2. The Aussies had more attempts to score, while Cathy steadfastly worked in the goal, with two brilliant saves. It was not till another ten minutes before a shot by Victoria Brunsberg added to their score, 2 -7. After this, they also had a few fast breaks and a shot at goal from 9 metres, which were not successful. In the meantime, the Chileans continued to score from the 6 metre line.
As two defenders were hanging off her, Allira Hudson-Gofers scored from 6 metres at 22.33 game time, with score then being 3 – 10. The Aussies never let up; attempts to add to their score however were not making their mark. Solveig Sorensen’s attempt from a fast break was unsuccessful, as well as a 7 metre shot by Allira Hudson-Gofers. Cathy Kent saved another breakthrough attempt by Chile. She also maintained the communication, urging the defence to work together against the Chileans attacks. At 23.41 game time, Jemima Harbort came in goal and successfully saved a penalty shot. The next two goals for the Aussies were scored by Solveig Sorensen from a penalty shot from a foul on Allira Hudson-Gofers at 24.24 game time, and Allira scoring at left wing from a pass from Rosa Boyd, with Rosa herself scoring from 9 metres soon after that, the score then being 6 – 11. There were more attempts by the Aussies with a shot by Mary Kelly from 9 metres; a fast break and a shot from left wing by Allira, a Raelene Boulton fast break and a steal by Rosa Boyd. Jemima saved two more shots but Chile scored another one from 9 metres right on the buzzer. Half Time Score: Australia 6 - Chile 14 The second half started well for the Aussies. Cathy Kent saved a shot from a breakthrough and threw a long pass to Victoria Brunsberg who scored from a fast break. This was followed by Aminta Thomas’ fast break and a steal by Rosa Boyd, but these were unsuccessful. Aminta’s next fast break was put away for the Aussies at 31.43 game time, with the score then being 8 – 14. Victoria Brunsberg had a shot from left wing soon after but was not good. Raelene kept the defence from the back tight but was unlucky not to score from a fast break. Aminta Thomas then scored from 9 metres at 35.09 game time, score was 9 -16. Allira
Hudson-Gofers kept up with her intense play and scored
another goal from 6 metres at 36.27 game time to take up
the score at 10 – 17. The Aussie WC supporters cheered
loudly all throughout the game, and especially so when
WC debutant Madeline McAfee scored from 9 metres at
38.49 game time. The cheering was even louder when
Cathy Kent’s long shot at goal was deflected by a
Chilean player into the goal, with the goal awarded to
Cathy; score then being 12 – 19. This gave a lift to
the Aussies’ spirit as they soldiered on despite signs
of fatigue setting in at times. They never gave up and
tried 3-2-1 and 5-1 defences in parts of their play.
However, Allira’s strong defence earned a two-minute
suspension.
A pass from Raelene Boulton to Rosa Boyd, resulted in a goal scored from the right wing at 40.28 game time. Cathy Kent had two more good saves which were followed by a goal from left wing by Raelene, score then being 14 – 20. It was five minutes later that Victoria Brunsberg added to the Aussies’ score tally from a shot from left wing, but the score by then was 15 – 23. Madeline McAfee’s steal did not find its mark and shots by Solveig Sorensen at right wing and by Jessica Fearnside from 6 metres were also unsuccessful. Madeline who was also fearless in her defence and got a two minute suspension. After time out called by Head Coach Katsu Kinoshita, Aminta Thomas straight away scored from 9 metres; this was followed by a goal by Victoria Brunsberg from 9 metres; score then being 17 – 27. Shots from left wing after this by Aminta Thomas and Raelene Boulton did make their mark. At 54.36
game time, Solveig Sorensen successfully converted a
penalty shot, from a foul on Allira Hudson-Gofers, score
then 18 – 29. With time running out to the finish of
the game, the Aussies still tried to add to their score
tally. At 56.26 game time Aminta Thomas scored from a
fast break, from a pass by Solveig, score 19 – 20.
Jemima Harbort steadfast in the goal and saved a shot
from breakthrough. Then Solveig scored soon after that
from a pass by Raelene Boulton. She added one more and
scored another one from 6 metres to take up the Aussies’
score then at 21 – 31. Jemima saved a shot from right
wing but was frustrated when unsuccessful to deny a
penalty shot. She then saved a shot from a fast break.
The Aussies up to this time were relentless in their
attempt at goal. Solveig and Raelene each had a good
shot at goal but these did not find their mark. Australia Goal Scores: Solveig Sorensen 5, Victoria Brunsberg 4, Aminta Thomas 4, Allira Hudson-Gofers 3, Rosalie Boyd 2, Raelene Boulton 1, Cathy Kent 1, Madeline McAfee 1. Comments from Head Coach Katsu Kinoshita
“This was our last game in the World Championship. A win against Chile would have been nice. Or if the Aussie score was 24, that would have been nice too. What is important is that from this experience we just had, we could set new goals for long, medium and short term, and to be improving and developing. I have learnt a lot from this tournament and I am sure that each one of the players also has learned from this tournament. Hopefully in the future we would have better reports in the blogs but as for now, we need to improve on a number of things.”
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| December 14, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
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Australia played today its third President’s Cup match which was against Congo. In terms of World Championship participation, Congo ranked 17th in 2007 and 22nd in 2001; 6th in 1980 Olympics; Bronze in the 2008 and 2006 African Championships. In the Preliminary Round of this WC, Congo was in Group A. The Aussies went into this match feeling positive about putting in place what they have learned from the previous matches. The girls’ spirit was high and the warm up indicated that they intend to give the match all they got. The first half was close, with the Aussies momentarily leading by one goal. However, a number of injuries during the match in addition to the girls feeling the toll on their bodies from playing eight intense games in nine 9 days, made it difficult for them to sustain the required energy level throughout the match.
Australia had throw off but was unsuccessful with the first attempts at goal. Allira Hudson-Gofers was tackled hard earning Australia a penalty shot which Solveig Sorensen successfully converted to a goal at 1.55 game time. This was replied by a 6 metre goal from Congo at 2.40 game time. Victoria Brunsberg smashed a goal from 9 metre line to add to Australia’s score but a breakthrough by Congo equalised the score two minutes later. Then Victoria again scored from a fast break from a pass by Raelene Boulton, with Australia leading 2 – 3. Then both teams scored goal for goal, but Congo managed to add more goals to the end of the first half. With the remaining minutes, Allira Hudson-Gofers contributed four more to the Aussies score tally, with one each from Rosa Boyd at 6 metre and Raelene Boulton from 9 metre line. Madeline McAfee, Mary and Veronica Kelly also had good shots at goal but were unsuccessful. Aside from making crucial saves, Cathy Kent helped the girls organise their defence throughout the half shouting instructions from the goal position. Half Time Score: Congo 14 – Australia 9 With five goals deficit, it proved difficult for the Aussies to claw back into the match. However, they kept trying. Rosa Boyd scored first for the Aussies from 6 metre, from a pass from Allira Hudson-Gofers 32.41 game time, score being 15 – 10. It was another four minutes before Solveig Sorensen scored from the wing from a pass from Rosa Boyd. Then alternately Alliran Hudson-Gofers and Rosa Boyd added more goals from 6 metres. Solveig Sorensen also converted a penalty shot from a foul on Allira at 46.13 game time, the score then being 25 – 15. There were worrying moments for the Aussies. Victoria Brunsberg had to come off the court for treatment, with Solveig Sorensen and Allira Hudson-Gofers also coping some hard hits. Madeline McAfee was retired from play a bad hit on the jaw area. Cathy Kent also relieved Jemima Harbort for part of the second half. Despite the injuries and tiredness, the Aussies persevered. Head Coach Katsu used combinations of 3-2-1 and 5-1 defence as the game progressed.
At 48.50 game time Rosa Boyd scored from 6 metres, which she followed up with another one a minute later. Aminta Thomas put one away from 9 metres at eight minutes left of the game, score being 28 – 18. This was followed by a powerful shot from 9 metres by Allira Hudson-Gofers. Allira was also fouled in the act of shooting; penalty shot put away by Aminta Thomas at 55.55 game time, score being 30 – 20. Aminta followed this up by another goal from 6 metre bottom left. The last goal for the Aussies was from a fast break from Mary Kelly at 57.16 game time. Congo managed to add two more goals after that, to finish time. FULL TIME SCORE: Congo 33 – Australia 22 Australia Goal Scores: Allira Hudson-Gofers 7, Rosalie Boyd 5, Solveig Sorensen 3, Aminta Thomas 3, Victoria Brunsberg 2, Raelene Boulton 1, Mary Kelly 1
Head Coach Katsu Kinoshita’s Comments
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| 13 December 2009 | ||||||||||||||
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Australia’s second President’s Cup game was against Sweden. Sweden did not qualify to participate in the last three World Championships. Nevertheless, it ranked well in the WCs that it got in - 8th in 2001, 11TH in 1995 and 6th in 1993. In the European Championships, it ranked 9th in 2008 and 6th in 2006. It played in Group A during the Preliminary Round of this WC. The Aussies knew that they were faced by another tough opponent; nevertheless they were in high spirit and looked forward to the challenge. Although the Aussies fought courageously, the Swedish team dominated the match with high percentage of success in fast breaks, six metre, wing and breakthroughs. Sweden, may have scored the highest goal points in the tournament so far. The Aussie Goalkeepers performed well; however, there was not much they could do with the barrage of attacks and the opposition’s fast breaks, etc.
Australia had the throw off but was unsuccessful in its first couple of attempts at goal. Cathy Kent lifted the Team with a great save from a shot from left wing. This was followed by Victoria Brunsberg’s scoring the first goal of Australia and of the match at 1.14 game time. This was equalised by a goal from the Swedish pivot. From then on, the match was one-sided, with the Swedes continuously widened the score margin. The Aussies did not give up but were out-classed by the faster Swedes. Solveig Sorensen scored four [three from penalty shots], Rosa Boyd added two goals from breakthroughs and with Veronica Kelly scoring from right wing. Cathy Kent at times broke the rhythm of the Swedes, saving nine for the Aussies. Half Time Score: Australia 6 – Sweden 26 Both teams had a change of goalkeepers for the second half, Jemima Harbort taking over Cathy Kent in goal for the Aussies. The Aussies put an intense defence which resulted in a two minute suspension at start of the second half, followed by Sweden scoring from a penalty shot. Rosa Boyd replied with a goal from a fast break at 30.56 game time, bringing the score to 9 – 27. This was, unfortunately, followed by a block of twelve minutes that the Aussies did not score with the Swedes adding to their goal tally from several fast breaks. Jemima Harbort withstood the barrage of attacks and managed to have at least three fantastic saves during this period of play. The Aussie twins Mary and Veronica Kelly served well being on each side of the wings. The Aussies also had a number of fast breaks during the second half, led by Victoria Brunsberg, Mary and Veronica Kelly and Solveig Sorensen. Jessica Fearnside also put away one for the Aussies from a fast break.
Raelene Boulton defended well and scored from the right wing at four minutes to end of the match, with the score being 20 – 60. Madeline McAfee also defended well but she was unlucky with her attempts from fast break and at the six metre line. Veronica Kelly scored the last goal for the Aussies with less than a minute in the match and taking the score past the twenty mark. FINAL GAME SCORE; Australia 21 – Sweden 66 Australia Goal Scores: Solveig Sorensen 6, Veronica Kelly 3, Mary Kelly 3, Rosalie Boyd 3, Victoria Brunsberg 3, Raelene Boulton 2, Jessica Fearnside 1
Head Coach Katsu Kinoshita’s Comments
Sweden scored sixty six points and those sixty six points are the things we can learn from this match. That score will naturally come down as the girls master each point and that will reflect to tomorrow’s game. We need to work hard on those points that we have learned. If I am to find something positive from the game, we scored twenty one points. Those twenty one points hopefully can reproduce tomorrow.
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| December 12, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
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Australia played its first game in the President’s Cup part of the World Championship, which was against Brazil. This was also a ‘rematch’ between the two teams as Brazil also participated in the 2009 Seoul Cup. In terms of World Championship participation, Brazil placed 20th, 7th and 14th in the last three WCs and 8th, 7th and 9th in the last three Olympics. It has also dominated the Pan-American Championships winning Gold each time with the exception of the 2009 tournament where it got Silver.
The outcome of the match was as expected, with some improvement in Australia’s score from their last game at the 2009 Seoul Cup with the score then being Brazil 49 - Australia 9 and this WC game being Brazil 45 – Australia 12. Brazil’s team proved to be faster with half of their goals being scored from fast breaks coupled with accurate shooting from the wings and six metre line. Unfortunately, the Aussies also committed a high number of technical faults - 44 in comparison with Brazil’s 16. Australia had the throw off but did not score at their first attempt at goal. And a minute later, Brazil was first to score in the match. This was followed by another 6 metre goal for Brazil, before Raelene Boulton put one away for Australia from left wing, from a pass from Allira Hudson-Gofers. Goalkeeper Cathy Kent’s steely composure and brilliant saves not only helped towards the score tally for the Aussies but also encouraged them to persevere against the barrage of goals by their opponents. It was another five minutes before another goal was scored by Solveig Sorensen from 6 metres from a pass by Madeline McAfee, score at this junction was 6 – 2. The following five minutes saw Brazil progressively add to its score tally. Then Brazil was down two players due to two two-minute suspensions. A penalty shot by Allira was saved before Mary Kelly converted from the 6 metre line, from a pass by Rosa Boyd, score now being 10 – 3. Nearly three minutes later, Allira made up for the missed penalty shot by scoring from a fast break.
For the remainder of the first half, Brazil maintained fast play and continued to add to its score from a combination of fast breaks and shots from the wing. Mary Kelly, Victoria Brunsberg and Rosa Boyd added a goal each for the Aussies before the end of the first half. Half Time Score: Brazil 20 – Australia 7 The same intensity of play was maintained by Brazil for the second half. In fact the goals scored were similar with Brazil scoring 25 and Australia with 5 goals. The second half put to the test Jemima Harbort who took over at goal from Cathy Kent. Jemima also put in a good performance. Her save of a penalty shot especially towards the latter part of the second half drew a big cheer from the Aussie supporters. Once again, Raelene Boulton scored the first goal for the Aussies at the second, at 35.11 game time, with the score being 23 – 8. This was followed by Solveig Sorensen converting a penalty shot from a foul on Madeline McAfee. For a block of eleven minutes, the Aussies were unable to score while Brazil continued with scoring from fast breaks and breakthroughs. Solveig Sorensen got one back from a fast break from an intercept by Raelene Boulton at 47.02 game time, score then being 35 – 10.
Another ten minutes went past before Victoria Brunsberg scored from 6 metres to add to the Aussies score, with only four minutes remaining of the game, score being 41 -11. She scored the last goal of the game. In the two last minutes, Jemima Harbort made a couple of brilliant saves to deny Brazil from adding to its tally score. Full Time Score: Brazil 45 – Australia 12. Australia Goal Scores: Solveig Sorensen 3, Victoria Brunsberg 3, Raelene Boulton 2, Mary Kelly 2, Allira Hudson-Gofers 1, Rosalie Boyd 1 Head Coach Katsu Kinoshita chose Solveig Sorensen to attend the Press Conference with him. However, the Press Conference was cancelled Comments from Katsu Kinoshita
"The girls struggled with defence coming up high in the court but I saw glimpses of timing to make the gap by themselves with the ball when they can. They were still not comfortable but if they meet the same opponent again with similar tactics, the girls can break through the gaps next time. In terms of defence, at times there is lack of communication. The two Goalies both saved well. The spirit on the bench is high but unity of the team at times was lacking. Confidence goes down they can not score. Personally, young Madeline McAfee had shown fighting spirit. She often struggled to deal with her frustration when she made mistakes but fought with the support from the team and her determination to continue her performance. I believe this made her to be a better player and person.” Comments from Assistant Coach Vernon Cheung
"Both Goalkeepers did well against the barrage of attack. Jemima Harbort in the second half had to come off for treatment to her calf. However this did not discourage her from her wish to help the team and drove her to push on. She came back on and that the fighter she is, performed well as she has consistently done in the tournament."
"We knew what to expect from the Brazilian team and they did not let us down. They defended the way we thought they would, but never the less it broke our rhythm in the first half. In the second half we managed to attack in a more appropriate way which gave us quite a few chances. Unfortunately we did not convert them all but we once again got a double digit score. The night before the game I had a dream about us having a penalty shot. Normally I am the one to take them, but in my dream Katsu made someone else shoot it, and she missed. I told some of the girls about my dream at lunch and they were just joking and saying that is not going to happen so don't worry. As we all know, he did make someone else shoot a penalty and unfortunately she missed it. If it was because she was one of them who knew about my dream is unsaid, but it is a funny coincidence." |
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| December 10, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
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The game against Thailand was the last of the Preliminary Round matches for Australia. This is the first World Championship participation by Thailand. It qualified for the WC when it ranked fourth place in the 2008 Asian Championship. As China had an automatic spot as host of the WC, this made way for Thailand’s participation. Australia had hoped that this was going to be its first victory in the tournament. Its previous games against much experienced and stronger handball teams were part of the preparation for today’s match against Thailand. The Aussies had a good start and strong first half.
Cathy Kent, Aussie Goalkeeper was immediately put to the test but she saved Thai’s first attempt at goal. This was followed by a goal from a fast break by Solveig Sorensen at 0.19 game time. This rattled the Thais who took them two minutes to even out the score. The Aussie defence was intense. Another save by Cathy from a Thai fast break was followed by a goal from a fast break by Victoria Brunsberg, which gave Australia the lead at 3.12 game time, with the score being 1 – 2. Aminta Thomas added another goal for Australia from the 9 metre line to increase this early lead to 1 – 3. A shot from the left wing was again saved by Cathy for the Aussies but Thai team got a goal breakthrough a minute later and this was followed by a fast break, equalising the score at 3 – 3. Another goal from the Thai pivot at 6 metre gave them one goal lead. Allira Hudson-Gofers’ goal from the 9 metre line, equalised the score at 4 – 4 at 7.42 game time. For the following fifteen minutes, the two teams matched goal for goal. The Aussies got in front by one goal, three times during this period. This was helped by two brilliant saves by Cathy. The Aussie goals were from a penalty shot by Solveig Sorensen from a foul on Allira; 6 metre shot by Victoria; Aminta converting a pass from Rosa Boyd; Mary Kelly with a fast break from an intercept by Raelene Boulton; Solveig scoring off a flick past by Victoria and another by her from a fast break; now the score at 22.33 game time was even at 10 -10. Both teams did not score for the next two minutes with strong player-on-player defence in play; then the Thai team found a gap and scored twice from 6 metre and left wing. At 27.46 game time, the score was 13 – 10. The Aussies attempts to add to its goal tally and the Thai team shot at goals to widen the gap were all unsuccessful to the close of first half. Half Time Score: Thailand 13 - Australia 10 The Aussies had three goals to catch up on before they could push on. Jemima Harbort took over as goalkeeper from Cathy Kent. Australia was first to score from a shot at left wing by Victoria Brunsberg. This was followed by a fantastic save by Jemima. It took three minutes before the Thai team scored from a fast break. Rosa Boyd immediately scored one from 9 metres, with the score being 14 – 12. Jemima made three successive saves much to the delight of the crowd which had joined in the Aussie chant of Aussie Aussie oi oi oi. For six minutes both teams could not score as defence was intense from each side.
Then the Thai team had another goal from a fast break but the Aussies were relentless and clawed back into the match with three successive goals – Solveig at 6 metres; Raelene’s shot from 6 metre grazed the side of the post but rolled in; and Aminta side-stepped two defenders and scored a goal. At 43.00 game time, the score stood at 15 – 15. Jemima saved a shot from the left wing before Thai scored from a goal breakthrough. The Aussies tightened up its defence resulting in two players getting two minutes suspension. At 50.43 game time, Solveig converted a penalty shot from a foul on Rosa; score at this time was 18 – 16. The Aussies from then on managed only two more goals - Solveig scored another one from a penalty shot and Allira from 6 metres. For the remaining ten minutes, Thai team progressively added to its score tally.
FINAL GAME SCORE: Thailand 25 – Australia 18
After the game, Head Coach Katsu Kinoshita and Team Captain Cathy Kent attended the Press Conference. Cathy’s comments: “This match is part of our development. I am proud of the Australian players for their passionate play. They paid their own money to be here. We really need some sponsorship to us in our development to make us more competitive against the world’s best teams. It would be nice to have same level of preparation as the Thai team had. I congratulate them on their win.” Katsu’s comments: “I congratulate Thailand on their first WC win. The girls played well but there is a lot to learn and develop for the future. The experience they had today would give them basis to grow. There were times that the girls got confused and needed to tighten up control over emotions. Unfortunately, Australia lack preparation for the World Championship due to resources. I hope that this is the start of a close relationship with Thailand for us to get together as we develop further handball in our nations.” |
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| December 09, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
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Today the Aussies played their fourth game in the Preliminary Round, which was against Ukraine. It was another big challenge for Australia as Ukraine is a strong team. It placed 13th, 10th and 4th in the last three world championships. In the European Championship, it ranked 10th in 2008, 13th in 2006 and 6th in 2004. It came 3rd in the 2004 Olympics. The Aussies were in high spirit despite the formidable task they were facing. Their objective was to do their best they can and try to stick to the agreed game strategies. However, the outcome was as expected. Australia’s defence was strong and the Aussies did not give up to the end of the match. However, their high-spirited play and courageous saves by their Goalies were not enough to hold back Ukraine’s fast breaks and efficient shooting from the six metre line. The level of experience of Ukraine also showed through with a lot less technical faults.
Australia had the throw off but two attempts at goal were blocked and the third one missed. At 2.02 into the game, Ukraine converted a penalty shot to score the first goal in the match. This was immediately responded by Aminta Thomas who scored from the left wing to equalise the score at 1 – 1 but Ukraine got one back straight away. For ten minutes after that, the Aussies attempts at goal were unsuccessful and even with four brilliant saves by Cathy Kent, Ukraine progressively added to its score. At 13.38 game time, Solveig Sorensen scored a goal at 9 metres; the score being 2 – 8. In the following five minutes, the Aussies were unable to score but were able to slow down their opponent who managed to add only two goals in that time when Raelene Boulton sidestepped two defenders to score another goal for Australia, bringing the score at 3 – 10. A minute later Solveig Sorensen scored a goal from 9 metre, which would be the last one for Australia till the close of the first half. The Aussies intense defence continued to rattle the opposition; with only four players on court, they managed to hold Ukraine from scoring for three minutes. Nevertheless, the first half closed with Ukraine having a big lead.
Half time score: Ukraine 19 – Australia 4 The Aussies had a good start in the second half. WC debutant, Jemima Harbort, started as Goalkeeper. No sooner was she on the court, she saved a shot from 6 metres. This was followed by a goal from a 9 metre shot by Rosa Boyd.
Ukraine, however, immediately responded with a goal from a 6 metre shot. For the next eight minutes, Ukraine took rein of the game again. The Aussies attempts at goal were either blocked by their taller opponents or just missed the mark. A fantastic steal by Mary Kelly which was passed to Rosa Boyd was unfortunately blocked too. The Aussies persevered, and a pass from Rosa was successfully put in goal by Mary at 40.03 game time with the score being 25 – 6. In the following three minutes, Ukraine added four more goals to its score from a combination of fast breaks and effective shooting from the 6 metre line. Even with one player out, Aminta Thomas found a gap and scored at 6 metres, score tally being 29 – 7. This was followed Jemima’s two brilliant saves of shots from the left wing and a penalty shot missed by Ukraine. The Aussies had more attempts at goal which unfortunately were unsuccessful, with Jemima saving a shot from left wing. The Aussies were heroic in their intense defence but could hold back the fast play of their opponents. From a combination of fast breaks and efficient shooting from 9 metre line, Ukraine managed to rack eleven more goals in the remaining thirteen minutes of play. Full time score: Ukraine 40 - Australia 7 Goal Scorers – Australia: Solveig Sorensen 2, Aminta Thomas 2, Raelene Boulton 1, Mary Kelly 1, Rosa Boyd 1 After the game, Katsu and Mary Kelly attended the Press Conference. The procedure is that players comment about the match and are asked to leave together afterwards, then the Coaches comment on the match. Mary’s comments:
“It was a good game, a learning experience for us. It is our part of our development as a team and as a young handball nation. The experience is something we can continue to build on”. In response to a question as to how she is finding the experience, Mary added that: “Being in the world championship is an exciting thing for us. We are here to learn and at the same time, enjoy it as much as we can. The experience will help us further develop in our sport.”
“I wish to thank Ukraine for the game we just played. As I have expressed in previous press conference, it is a great opportunity for our girls to play against the world’s strong teams. There are “ups” and “downs” in the girls’ feeling when they are in competition. When the players are happy, they do what they can do within their capability. When the pressure is on, the players do not show what they can do. It is the case when we play against better teams, which was the case today. It is up to the girls to learn, not just smile all the time. It will be joyous if they can embrace the experience and improve on it for tomorrow. That is the reason for us to be here. We are here to represent the Oceania Region well. I believe the players will do that.” |
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| December 07, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
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The Aussies played today against Russia, which could be the toughest team in its draw in this world championship. Russia has been dominating women’s handball for many years, with its WC record being: 1st in 2001, 2005 and 2007; and 7th in 2003. It came 3rd in 2008 European Championship and 2nd in 2008 Olympics. Although it has been noted that a number of players in the team which played the last three wc’s are no longer in its current team, Russia certainly is used to playing at a very high level. The expected outcome was that Russia would win. However, the Aussies went into the match with excited anticipation and resolve to give the match all they have got. Once again, the great Aussie spirit and their passion for the sport and their country were reflected by their determined play right to the end of the match. Russia’s success with continuous fast breaks, efficient shooting from six metres and the wings gave the Aussies a most difficult task to narrow the score gap throughout the game. Just as the Aussies had many unsuccessful attempts at goal, they also got hampered by thirty one technical faults in comparison with their opponents’ only six instances.
Australia had the throw off but attempts by Tori Brunsberg and Aminta Thomas to convert goals were unsuccessful. A fast break by Russia at 0.47 into the game, opened its scoring streak. Cathy Kent [Aussie Goalkeeper] made great saves and maintained her steely resolve with the succeeding onslaught at goal by Russia. With Solveig Sorensen’s successful penalty shot from a foul on Raelene Boulton at 17.58 game time, the score was 16 – 1. For the ensuring eight minutes, Russia widened the goal margin despite the Aussies spirited defence. Aussies attempts at goal were either missing their mark or blocked by their opponents. Madeline McAfee who is the youngest [ at age 16 years] in the Team, fought fearlessly alongside the more experienced girls There were two more much-needed saves by Cathy Kent before a goal was added by Rosa Boyd to Australia’s score tally at 25.02 game time; score being 21 -2. At less than four minutes to the end of second half, Solveig Sorensen scored another goal for the Aussies.
Half Time Score: Russia 27 – Australia 3 The second half saw the Aussies’ WC debutant goalkeeper, Jemima Harbort take over from Cathy Kent. Again Russia was first to score and continued to widen the score gap for the following nine minutes until Solveig Sorensen scored from six metres for the Aussies, with the score at this point being 36 – 4. Mary Kelly’s goal from left wing at 43.09 game time was responded by two goals by Russia. After a few attempts, Victoria Brunsberg successfully put one away from centre nine metres, the score being 39 – 6 at 45.16 game time.
The Aussie supporters were relentless with their boisterous chants of "Aussie, Aussie, oi oi oi" to spur on the Team. They wildly applauded each save made by the Aussie Goalkeeper Jemima as well for the successful fast break by Raelene Boulton at 47.26 bringing the score at 41 – 7. Raelene’s succeeding goal at 6 metres at 51.49 game time was to be the last one for the Aussies to finish of match. The Aussies never showed signs of giving up till the buzzer regardless of the score. Their defence never let up which frustrated some of Russia’s attacks and resulting in less goals scored by them in the second half. Full Time Score: Russia 48 – Australia 8 Goals – Australia: Solveig Sorensen 3, Raelene Boulton 2, Mary Kelly 1, Rosa Boyd 1, Victoria Brunsberg 1
After the game, Head Coach Katsu Kinoshita and Jemima Harbort attended the Press Conference. Jemima’s commented that: “We are a young team and got to face a strong team. I am happy with our performance as we held their attack, especially in the second half. We will take away the experience to further develop our team.” Katsu comments: “ I congratulate and thank Russia for the opportunity to learn from them. It is difficult for us as a young team to face such strong opponent. I am still impressed by Russia’s contribution to the development for small handball nations. I take this as a positive step for us.” Back at the hotel, additional comments about the match were made by Vernon Cheung, Assistant Coach and again by Katsu. Vernon’s comments:
“Against Russia is going to be a challenge for us. As expected, Russia challenged our capability to the maximum and in the first half, the testing of these challenges struck us very hard. Players needed to trust their ability and not to be afraid of the Russians. As the game progressed, players did so and anticipate the outcome of 48 – 8. In second half, especially in defence and attacks, in some occasions the girls were not afraid of the Russians. Regardless of its opponent, Russia played hard and I respect the Russian national team. Playing against that sort of challenge give us extra edge to continue to improve. I believe we have gained confidence for the team and in each individual player tonight.” |
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| December 06, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
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Australia played today against Austria for its second game in the world championship. Austria’s record in the World Championship in recent years is as follows: 2001 - 7th; 2003 - 11th; 2005 - 13th; and 2007 - 16th. In last year’s European Championship, it placed 11th and was 5th place in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. The Aussies were in high spirits and were looking forward to playing against another strong handball team. The Aussies set three team objectives to achieve in this match and persevered through to the finish to try achieve them. Austria, however, dominated the play with several fast breaks and precision shooting from six metres.
Australia had the throw off but the first attempt by Tori Brunsberg from centre at six metres was unsuccessful. This was replied by a fast break by Austria but saved by Cathy Kent [Aussie Goalkeeper]. Tori succeeded in scoring the first goal in the match, after an earlier unsuccessful attempt by Solveig Sorensen. The Aussies’ defence was strong so it was not until nearly two minutes before Austria scored to even up the score 1 -1. Then Austria scored successively for the next six minutes from a combination of fast breaks and shots from the wing. Allira Hudson-Gofers was again fearless in her play as pivot, earning a penalty shot for Australia which was converted successfully by Solveig at 9:18 game time, bringing the score at 2 – 7. This was immediately responded by Austria with three goals, two of these from fast breaks before Allira Hudson-Gofers put away one for Australia at 12.33 game time bringing the score at 3 – 10.
For the remainder of the first half, Austria progressively added to the score gap with goals from fast breaks and good shooting accuracy at 6 and 9 metres. The Aussies persisted with their attempt at goals but a number of these were blocked by their taller opponents and good goalkeeping by the Austrian goalkeeper. Mary Kelly scored a goal at centre 6 metres at 16.32 game time and at 9 minutes later Raelene Boulton scored the last goal for the Aussies in the first half. Half Time Score: Australia 5 - Austria 22. At the second half, Austria immediately scored culminating in seven goals in the first ten minutes, again with goals from fast breaks and effective shooting. Aminta Thomas broke Austria’s momentum with a goal from a fast break at 38.49 game time. This was followed by Mary Kelly three minutes later with a goal at 9 metres centre, bringing the score now at 7 – 30. The Aussies kept up their spirited play to try hold back the Austrians but their opponents continued with their fast breaks and strong defence blocking Aussies’ shots at goal. Rosa Boyd added another goal at 44.05 into the second half with the score now at 8 – 33. Then for the following thirteen minutes that the Aussies were not able to score, Austria continued to add to the score difference.
The Aussies kept fighting spurned on by the enthusiastic
chants and claps by their supporters. They did not give
up to the end of the match. Both goalkeepers, Cathy Kent
and Jemima Harbort, who came on towards the latter part
of the second half, soldiered on and had a number of
brilliant saves which helped keep the opponents score
under 50 goals. Tori put away a goal from 9 metres in
less than three minutes. Then the crowd wildly
applauded Solveig as she scored right on the buzzer to
take up the Aussies to a two-digit score. Goals: Australia – Solveig Sorensen 2, Mary Kelly 2, Allira Hudson-Gofers 1, Raelene Boulton 1, Rosa Boyd 1, Aminta Thomas 1.
After the game, Katsu and Allira attended the Press Conference. When asked to comment about the match, Allira said:
Katsu’s comments:
Back at the hotel, I managed to get additional comments from Katsu about the game against Austria. He said:
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| December 05, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
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Today the Australian Team played its first game in the XIX Women’s Handball World Championship which was against Angola. It was a case of déjà vu for the Aussies as the two teams recently met at the 2009 Seoul Cup. In terms of world championships, Angola was placed 17th and 16th respectively in 2003 and 2005 WC, and jumped to 7th in 2007. In the Olympic Games, it was placed 9th on both 2000 and 2004, and 12th in 2008.
The younger Australian Team therefore knew it was faced
by a formidable opponent; nevertheless the players’
passion for the sport and country carried them through
the game.
The Aussies had the throw off but Angola was first to
score from a left wing shot at 1.03 game time. Putting
that aside, Australia had a good start to the game in
that it was able to respond goal for goal till nearly
eight minutes into play. After then, the intense defence
and fast breaks from Angola prevented the Aussies to
score and at the same time progressively widened the gap
for the next twelve minutes, with the score being 15 - 4
at 20:11 game time [Solveig Sorensen with 4 goals and
Rosa Boyd with 1 goal for the Aussies]. A few seconds
later, Mary Kelly added to the Aussies’ goal but this
was quickly responded to by Angola. A score of 16 - 5
at 21:13 game time, Head Coach Katsu Kinoshita called
time out. The Aussies needed the respite, particular
Allira Hudson-Gofers, as she was getting extra
'attention' during play in her position of pivot.
Aminta Thomas added one goal to the Aussies score after
the time out, but this was to be the last one till half
time.
Despite the daunting task in front of them, the Aussies continued their fearless play in court and showing the true Aussie spirit of not giving up. They persevered in executing moves but their opponents’ defence kept them in check and unsuccessful in converting them to goals. The Aussies, however, managed to hold off Angola for blocks of two and three minutes, where their attempt at goals were unsuccessful. Half Time Score: Australia 6 – Angola 22.
After the half time break, the Aussies had regrouped and
had stronger defence. The Aussies managed to frustrate
a number of the set moves of their opponents. This
resulted in Angola scoring less than their first half,
but its defence likewise prevented the Aussies in
successfully completing their moves. During the second
half, the Aussies added three to its score [Aminta
Thomas 2 goals, Solveig Sorensen with 1].
Overall, Angola proved to be the stronger team. It was difficult for the Aussie Goalkeepers to keep them from scoring as Angola converted 10 goals from thirteen fast breaks and the successful shots at goal by the opponents were from ten fastbreaks and ten goals from ten attempts from six metres. Nevertheless, the Aussies continued its courageous play to the finish. This match was special for the players who debuted in the world championship; these were Jemima Harbort [Goalkeeper], Veronica Kelly, Madeline McAfee, Gizelle van der Merwe and Jessica Fearnside. FINAL SCORE: Australia 9 – Angola 39 Goals: Australia – Solveig Sorensen 4, Aminta Thomas 3, Rosa Boyd 1, Mary Kelly 1 After the game, Katsu and Cathy attended the Press Conference. First to be requested to comment about the game were the players from each team and after their comments, they were requested to leave. Then it was over to the Coaches to make their comments. Both Cathy and Katsu said that the Australian Team is a young team and that the experience they get with playing teams like Angola is part of its development for the future. In response to question with regard to Katsu calling a time out at the closing minutes and still smiling despite the score, Katsu said that although they did not achieve the goal of reducing the goal difference by ten from their last match, as Coach he should not show emotions and in fact he told the players to enjoy to the last minute of the game.
Comments Head Coach, Katsu Kinoshita
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