The New Zealand women’s hockey team went a long way to securing a quarter-final spot with a good 2-1 win over Spain today.
It was a perfect way to celebrate captain Kayla Whitelock's 250th test match.
Kelsey Smith opened the scoring for New Zealand when she converted a penalty corner after 22 minutes. It was 1-0 at halftime, then Smith scored again after 51 minutes.
Spain pulled one back through Carlota Petchame in the 60th minute, but New Zealand held on for the win.
The result puts New Zealand back on track. They began the tournament well with a 4-1 win over South Korea, but then lost to Germany.
They now have six points from three matches.
Team manager Jude Menezes said the team felt they needed at least seven points to be sure of a quarter-final spot, which was the priority.
“We want as many points as possible,” he said, “to get the best possible quarter-final draw. It’s very important we play well and get some points from our final two pool matches, against the Netherlands and China.”