Paris — Talk about a turnaround. Team GB women put on a five-star showing to deflate the USA’s stars and stripes on Thursday. A 5-2 win qualified GB for the knock-out stages. That was the first hurdle. Now the aim will be to beat Argentina, avoid fourth and the dastardly Dutch. Should Spain beat Australia then it will be a potential quarter-final against the Olympic champions.
But on this showing, coupled with GB’s tournament pedigree, they could yet go deep at these Olympics as Sophie Hamilton, a former US college graduate, stood tall with the ball.
The 23-year-old’s creativity allowed Tess Howard to finally break her Olympic duck with a fine double. While Lily Owsley’s circle weaving, Hannah French’s circle perseverance and some neat set piece variation put paid to the USA’s hopes of an upset.
An early goal set the tone here for GB. But not for a one-way performance as this game went coast-to-coast in the first-half as USA rallied to 3-2 before David Ralph’s side found daylight in the final 30 minutes.
The opener, in the fourth minute, came initially from a clearance from Hannah Fench up field to Sarah Robertson, who ran out of room as the move broke down. However, her side kept up final third momentum, the press finishing with Hamilton crashing into the circle and finding enough lift and purchase towards goal.
USA’s first corner four minutes later saw them spread their castle and took a central option with a hard slap. Pritchard saved before Abigail Tamer followed up.
Fine stick work from Owsley forced an opening on the left in the second quarter. Fed to Howard, the East Grinstead forward reverse lifted over Kelsey Bing. Her second arrived six minutes later. GB’s third was a well-worked variation. Injected by Robertson, Giselle Ansley fed back to the Scot, who pushed into danger and Howard brushed stroked home via a cute deflection.
There was time for a fifth goal before the break. It came from a catalogue of turnover ball as GB cleared. Robertson sent a clearance from deep, instead of ball retaining, and after Peel failed to control on her 23m, space opened. Tamer, full of confidence, weaved across the circle and had too much time for her reverse.
The star quality of Hamilton came to the fore to maintain their two-goal cushion. Picking the ball on half way, momentum and luck took her into the circle, leaving four stars and stripes trailing. She reversed into French’s path and a reverse on the tumble found its way home.
A fifth came again from Hamilton. Finding Robertson on the right, she whipped a low forehand towards Howard. The ball popped up kindly for Sarah Jones to volley home. Now for a Saturday morning test against Argentina.
