
The focus is normally on the winners but multiple World Cup champions United States of America and Australia lost their opening-day encounters — USA to Olympic champion Spain 16-11 and Olympic silver medallist Australia to Olympic bronze medallist Netherlands 11-9. World No 7 Greece downed world No 5 Hungary 14-10 and world No 6 Italy usurped Israel 16-9 in a day of intense action.
Overview
This tournament will evolve exponentially as the world’s top teams settle their new rosters and see what results turn up. They are battling for the top-six positions and get the qualification berths for the finals series in April.
A look at the rosters show that teams who won today probably had the more experienced teams overall. As this tournament unfolds, expect those leading nations to turn around some of the results.
Match Reports
Match 1, Group A, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 11 SPAIN 16 (1-6, 5-4, 2-3, 3-3)
It is not often USA finds itself on the losing end, but as the world catches up and teams are upended after the Olympiad, odd results will prevail. There was nothing odd by the way Spain went at this match, making sure it had a strong start and cruising home for a terrific beginning to 2025. USA opened the scoring and Spain responded with a vengeance, smashing in six goals for 6-1 at the quarter and then 7-1 from six different players early in the second quarter. Goals were traded as USA looked like the team of old despite the presence of seven newcomers. Three of those youngsters scored to bring the match to 8-5 and Spain gained a penalty foul, which was challenged by legendary USA head coach Adam Krikorian. It looked like he had a case, but he lost the challenge and would not get another all match. Ariadna Ruiz converted. Olympian Tara Prentice replied from centre forward and Paula Prats gained her third on extra from top right to finish the half at 10-6 in favour of Spain.
USA pulled it back slightly to 11-8 and both teams had a penalty shot saved. Paula Leiton on extra and Ariadna Ruiz shunted the margin to five by the last break. Margaret Ryan converted a penalty for USA and Charlotte Raisin converted extra from deep left. Paula Camus lobbed from the left-post position and Prentice gained the benefit of a high pass into two metres, the defender swatting the ball behind into goal. Leiton pushed in a ball that failed to cross the line and Carlota Penalver finished off a counter-attack at 0:53 for the 16-11 victory.
Match Heroes
Spain’s Prats with three goals and five others with a pair, showing its all-round shooting capability. Allison Cohen, Prentice, Chrissy Flynn and Maryn Dempsey scored twice each for USA and captain Amanda Longan made 10 saves in goal.
Turning Point
Going 7-1 is something few teams can bridge. USA is a team capable of this and showed that after the initial onslaught, it won the encounter 10-9. However, pulling back just the one goal was difficult enough against the classy Spanish.
Stats Don’t Lie
Spain converted four from eight on extra and USA three from six. Spain sent in three from four on penalty and USA four from five. Neither team registered a steal and Spain’s overall shooting was 29 to a meagre USA 18.
Bottom Line
Spain is the stronger team on paper and showed that today. USA is rebuilding big time and it’s early in the Olympiad.
Match 2, Group B, ISRAEL 9 ITALY 16 (2-5, 2-3, 2-4, 3-4)
Italy came through as expected, even though its new team could have been awed by the occasion. Italy scored the opening two goals and was 5-2 ahead at the quarter and slowly moved to 8-3 before Israeli captain Maria Bogachenko converted a penalty for her second before the halftime buzzer. Agnese Cocchiere scored twice from centre forward and Morena Leone twice from the right and once from centre forward.
Italy sent home two penalty goals to start the third period with Alma Yaacobi claiming her second on extra from the top left. Bogachenko had a penalty attempt declined and Cocchiere made sure from two metres on the next attack for 11-5. Goals were traded for 12-6 at the last break. The score moved to 13-8 in the first half of the final period before veteran Sofia Giustini scored her second, this time on counter; Chiara Ranalli went on counter for her third of the half and Leone made it 16-8 inside the final minute. The last say went to Israel’s Hila Futorian on extra.
Match Heroes
Leone and Cocchiere made it four goals each and Ranalli netted three. The goalkeepers shared in 13 saves. For Italy. Israel’s Yaacobi plundered three goals.
Turning Point
Italy winning every period was where this match was won.
Stats Don’t Lie
Italy converted four from six on extra and Israel three from nine. Italy scored both penalty attempts and Israel missed one of its three. Israel stole the ball nine times to seven and took 33 shots to 25.
Bottom Line
Italy has only a handful of players from Paris 2024 with Israel turning over half its team from last year. This tournament is excellent preparation for the finals series and Singapore beyond.
Match 3, Group A, GREECE 14 HUNGARY 10 (4-2, 3-1, 4-4, 3-3)
Greece will be more than happy after a rare victory over Hungary. With Eleftheria Plevritou taking over the captaincy role from her outgoing older sister Maria Plevritou, the team was in good hands, especially as the other sister of the trio, Vasiliki Plevritou, was still on board. The sisters scored the first three goals with Vasiliki netting twice, utilising the new rule about taking the ball outside the six-metre line for the shot for 3-0 at 3:38. Goals were traded with Maria Myriokefalitaki converting extra amidst the same goals from Kamilla Farago and Kata Hajdu. Myriokefalitaki and Eleftheria Plevritou shunted the score to 6-2 by 2:47 with a large gap of no goals. Hungarian captain Rita Keszthelyi went on counter and Myriokefalitaki converted extra from four metres for 7-3, just eight seconds from halftime.
Myriokefalitaki and Keszthelyi traded followed by a Greek pair from Eleftheria Plevritou and Christiana Siouti from well outside. Hungary scored a hat-trick with Farago gaining two of them and with 11 seconds remaining; Vasiliki Plevritou awaited as a Hungarian challenge to a penalty foul was lost and she converted for 11-7 at the final break. Eleftheria Plevritou was in the mix of goals that sent Greece 13-9 ahead and inside the final two minutes, Eszter Varro back-swept a high pass into goal for Hungary and Eirini Ninou closed all scoring with a penalty goal for a magnificent and memorable 14-10 victory.
Match Heroes
Captain Eleftheria Plevritou and Myriokefalitaki with four apiece and Vasiliki Plevritou scoring three for Greece. Ioanna Stamatopoulou dragged down 13 saves for Greece. Farago top-scored for Hungary with three goals.
Turning Point
Going 3-0 helped a lot and holding that four-goal advantage at halftime. Hungary could not bridge the gap.
Stats Don’t Lie
Greece was virtually perfect on statistics with six from six on extra and defending four from nine; scoring the only two penalty goals; neither team gaining a steal and Greece needing just 24 shots to 33 for the comfortable victory.
Bottom Line
Greece had by far the more Olympians and that showed. Greece’s transition thus was much easier while Hungary needs to blend the newcomers to work around Keszthelyi.
Match 4, Group B, NETHERLANDS 11 AUSTRALIA 9 (4-1, 1-1, 3-6, 3-1)
Olympic silver medallist Australia suffered its first loss of the new Olympiad by going down to the Dutch who had seven returning Olympians. By going 4-1 up, Netherlands was ready for the encounter and went hard from the starting whistle. It was what made the difference in the end. Lola Moolhuijzen scored two of those goals heading into the second period, which was quieter still with just the two goals. Alice Williams, most valuable player from Paris 2024 and the highest goal-scorer, earned an exclusion at the top, passed off, received and scored for 4-2 at 6:20. Maxine Schaap “replied” at 0:19 from the top right.
In the third period, Daniejla Jackovich slid one in from centre forward for Australia with Storm Willemsen scoring her first international goal at this level for the Dutch. Williams nullified the three-goal Netherlands advantage by 4:44 with three of her own, forcing the Dutch to a timeout. Netherlands scored twice and the Aussie Stingers scored twice with Bronte Halligan and Jackovich gaining their seconds goals. The last came four seconds from the final break and the match became very interesting at 8-8. Kitty Lynn Joustra moved quickly at two metres to score her second and Abby Andrews responded as the goalkeeper was stranded inside the first minute of the fourth quarter. At 3:07, Lieke Rogge lobbed on counter and at 2:18, Schaap made her second, the final scoring of the match and a handy Dutch victory.
Match Heroes
Schaap, Joustra and Rogge scored twice each for Netherlands while Williams was best for Australia with four goals and Genevieve Longman made 11 saves in goal.
Turning Point
The Dutch going 4-1 ahead; Australia levelling at six, eight and nine; the Dutch controlling the last seven minutes.
Stats Don’t Lie
Netherlands managed to get 33 shots away to 25; converted just two from six on extra compared to Australia’s two from four; both teams scored their one penalty attempt and the steals were even at six.
Bottom Line
Netherlands had a more settled team in terms of experience while Australia had six returning from the Paris Olympics.
Progress Points
Group A: Spain 3, Greece 3, Hungary 0, United States of America 0
Group B: Italy 3, Netherlands 3, Australia 0, Israel 0
Day 2 Schedule
Match 05. 15:00. Group A, Hungary v United States of America
Match 06. 17:00. Group B, Italy v Netherlands
Match 07. 19:00. Group A, Spain v Greece
Match 08. 21:00. Group B, Australia v Israel