Bhubaneswar, Feb 4: The Netherlands kicked off the second mini-tournament of the FIH Pro League season in emphatic fashion, dismantling the United States 7-0 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. This dominant victory extends their winning streak to five games and solidifies their position at the top of the standings.
Despite their clear dominance, the Dutch started patiently. The deadlock was broken in the 13th minute when Luna Fokke fired in a goal after some good interplay along the left baseline. Pien Dicke doubled the lead just a minute later with a similar move on the right side.
The USA showed resilience in the second quarter, managing to keep the Dutch at bay and going into halftime trailing 2-0. However, the Dutch upped the tempo in the second half, and the American resistance crumbled.
Dicke capitalized on a high-risk pass from the USA to score her third goal. She then completed her hat-trick with a tap-in after some impressive Dutch interplay. The pressure continued to mount, and Dicke added another goal from a penalty corner rebound, taking her tally to four for the match.
Yibbi Jansen, the current top scorer of the tournament, put the finishing touches on the victory with two confidently executed penalty strokes in the dying minutes. This brings her tournament tally to seven goals, but Dicke is now hot on her heels with five goals, setting up an exciting scoring race in the upcoming matches.
This resounding victory sends a strong message to the other teams in the competition and cements the Netherlands’ position as the team to beat in the FIH Pro League. While the USA will be disappointed with the result, they can take heart from their defensive effort in the second quarter and look to bounce back in their next match.
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