Day 4 Review
A sunny morning with a nice Caribbean breeze blowing across the ground greeted the teams for the start of the knockout phase of the tournament. Argentina booked their spot in the semi-final with a dominating 18-0 win against Mexico. Canada held their nerve to win a shootout over Uruguay 0-0 (5-3) setting up a semi-final showdown against Argentina. Chile defeated hosts Trinidad & Tobago 5-0 to move on to the semi-finals. Then USA completed the semi-finalists by comfortably winning 11-0 over Barbados.
ARG vs MEX
The opening match of the knockout round saw Pool A winners Argentina play Mexico, who placed 4th in Pool B. The game got off to the familiar pattern of Argentina quickly into their pressure game leading to a goal in the first minute. They continued to score regularly despite many good saves by GK Inguanzo. The pick of the first half goals was Ladra’s solo run past 4 defenders to score to the left of Inguanzo. The second half did not start with the same intensity as the first, but Argentina continued to score regularly. Every time Mexico seemed to slow down the flow of goals, Argentina found another level. Granatto’s lovely reverse stick pass for von der Heyde to score their 16th goal exemplified the intensity with which Argentina played. Inguanzo made way for Amaya to applause from the Argentina supporters, who appreciated an outstanding performance in the face of overwhelming pressure. For good measure Las Leoncitas added two more before the final horn ended the game with them 18-0 winners.
CAN vs URU
Match two saw Pool B runners up Canada play Uruguay, 3rd placed in Pool A. The weather changed dramatically to a downpour. This seemed to delight the Canadians who came out to enjoy one of the few rainfalls in recent weeks. The game started under overcast skies and a cautious start from the teams. It was an intense midfield battle with many turnovers in the middle of the field. The teams traded PCs, but either team’s defence held strong. The halftime horn sounded with the teams scoreless with 1 goal looking like it might be enough to win the game. The second half brought the sun and more of the same first half story with a midfield battle for possession. A good Cookson run led to a Cole shot wide of the mark. Uruguay forced Logush to make a save from a PC as they pressed for the lead. Faiczak missed a glorious chance in the final seconds to win it in regulation time for Canada, but the scores ended 0-0 to send us to our first penalty shootout of the competition. Canada held their nerve to win the shootout 5-3 and book a semi-final spot against Argentina on Thursday. Uruguay will play Mexico in the 5-8th classification match.
CHI vs TTO
Match three was Pool A runners up Chile play hosts Trinidad & Tobago, 3rd placed in Pool B. Chile started off the stronger team scoring a pair of PCs after forcing numerous turnovers. After a period of intense Chile pressure, Trinidad & Tobago started to attack, forcing a few desperate tackles. The game opened up more as the half progressed and by the time the halftime horn sounded the teams were evenly matched. The second half started as the first ended with most of the play in the middle of the field. A Chile PC was finished by Krimerman for her hattrick. Trinidad & Tobago created some good chances, but lacked the killer instinct needed to score. Chile started to defend deeper and play on the counter attack and the tactic worked well as Trinidad & Tobago grew tired. Two deflected goals in quick succession effectively killed off the game and at the final horn Chile celebrated moving on to the semi-finals.
USA vs BAR
The 4th and final match saw Pool B winners USA play 4th place in Pool A, Barbados. Barbados came out aggressively, trying to push their opponents back. The Americans managed the pressure easily before going on the offensive themselves. It took them 9 minutes to score, but then the goals started to come more regularly. The Americans made good use of their PCs, scoring 4 of 7 goals from the set play before the halftime horn sounded. USA continued to dominate ball possession, but strong defending and some good saves by GK Alleyne kept the score unchanged until a Barbados PC turned into a USA counterattack and goal in the 50th minute. Two more PC goals and an excellent reverse stick shot finished the scoring on a dominant performance in an 11-0 win for USA to close out the quarterfinal round.
Semi-final & 5-8 Classification Matches
The first knockout round is over with the semi-final and 5-8th classification match-ups known. The first match is Mexico vs. Uruguay, followed by Trinidad & Tobago vs. Barbados in the 5-8th place classification matches. Then the semi-finals follow with Argentina vs. Canada and Chile vs. USA. The quarterfinals have followed the pre-tournament rankings so far, the top 4 teams advancing to the semi-finals on Thursday.
