Kookaburras impress against Argentina, Hockeyroos lose
Cooper Burns travelled to Argentina hoping to secure his spot as a Kookaburra and the 22-year-old did his chances a world of good in his fifth international.
His second goal in Friday's Pro League match helped the Australians to a 2-0 win over Argentina in Santiago del Estero.
Following an exodus of players post Paris, coach Mark Hager revealed he was looking for young talent to fill the final spots of his team.
Tim Brand, after a good pass from Craig Marais, opened the scoring in the first quarter.
They increased their advantage five minutes before half-time when Burns found a loose ball on the edge of the circle and smacked it into the back of the net.
Cooper Burns with a clinical finish after some immense pressure from Craig to force the turnover 🔥Don't miss the second half, live and free on 7plus. pic.twitter.com/3jiXml3hKX
— Kookaburras (@Kookaburras) February 20, 2025
Argentina looked to respond immediately, hitting the post and finding clear space in the Kookaburras circle.
But, in the second half, scrappy play off eight penalty corners saw Argentina fade.
Kookaburras midfielder Ky Willott said the game was intense.
"It was a defensive battle for us in the end, but we came out strong. It was a really pleasing performance," he said.
"Even when the sun went down in the second half, it got harder as it went on, so we're happy to come out on top."
The Hockeyroos, meanwhile, went down 2-1 despite a strong performance from Jade Smith.
Eight minutes into the clash, Argentina found an opening when Sofia Toccalino crossed the ball into an unmarked Brisa Bruggesser who converted.
The world No.2s then took a bigger foothold in the game when Agustina Gorzelany received the ball and thrashed it towards goal.
The ball skimmed off an Aussie stick and went straight in between the legs of keeper Aleisha Power.
The Australians did cut the deficit early in the fourth quarter when Smith capitalised off a Madison Brooks shot that ricocheted off the keeper.
The Hockeyroos grew in confidence but a string of fine saves by keeper Cristina Cosentino secured the win.
Captain Mariah Williams admitted the slow start had cost the Hockeyroos.
"It took us a little bit to get into the game and in the second half we focused on a few things we needed to fix up," she said.
"It showed on the scoreboard and on the pitch. We have a really good game to play and we came out in the second half and gave it our all."
The Kookaburras and Hockeyroos next face Belgium on Saturday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
South Africa wins the World Test Championship, its first major cricket title in 27 years
LONDON (AP) — South Africa won the World Test Championship against titleholder Australia by five wickets after knocking off the last 69 runs required on the fourth morning of the final on Saturday. The Proteas achieved their first major cricket title in 27 years, sparking celebrations at Lord's. They moved from a portentous 213-2 overnight to 282-5, the second-highest successful run chase in the 141-year test history at the home of cricket. Australia didn't give up the WTC mace easily, relentlessly attacking the stumps and pressuring a South Africa side with an infamous history of blowing winning positions on big ICC stages. But South Africa was staunch and composed — only three boundaries in more than two hours — and lost only three wickets on Saturday in an air of inevitability. 'We've come a long way as a team, as a country,' an emotional Keshav Maharaj said. "We always say we want to be good people and play good. We're moving in the right direction as a cricketing nation. 'After 25 years of pain, to finally get over the line is super emotional. We're so grateful to have Temba (Bavuma, captain) to get us over the line. Diversity is our strength, so to see the crowd, they stand for the meaning of our rainbow nation. To lift the trophy is going to unite the nation even more.' The desperate Australians used up all of their three reviews in vain within the first 90 minutes but fought to the end. They took the new ball but were still blunted by a flat pitch. Markram was the colossus Australia could not topple until it was too late. The opener resumed the day on 102 and was out for 136 when only six more runs were needed. He spent six hours, 23 minutes in the middle. About 15 minutes later, Kyle Verreynne broke the tension by hitting the winning run, a drive into the covers. Markram and captain Temba Bavuma set up the victory with an unbeaten and chanceless partnership of 143 runs the day before. They could not finish what they started, adding only four runs together before Bavuma edged Pat Cummins behind for 66, one more than he had overnight. Tristan Stubbs was castled on 8 by Mitchell Starc with 41 runs needed and South Africa was too close to the finish to be denied. But Markram couldn't have the pleasure himself. With six runs needed to win, he was caught at midwicket by Travis Head off Josh Hazlewood. Australia didn't celebrate. Instead, players slapped Markram on the back and congratulated him on his match-winning knock as the Lord's crowd stood and applauded. They stood again when the end finally came, a rout of red-hot Australia with five sessions to spare. South Africa's only previous global trophy was the Champions Trophy's precursor in 1998. Before then and since, its history on the ICC's biggest stages has been infamously cruel. The venues and dates of their most heartbreaking losses include Birmingham 1999, Dhaka 2011, Auckland 2015, Kolkata 2023 and Bridgetown 2024. But London 2025 will go down as one of the greatest days in South Africa sports, when its cricket underdogs grabbed the advantage and didn't let go against one of the great Australia test sides. ___
Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
South Africa wins the World Test Championship, its first major cricket title in 27 years
LONDON (AP) — South Africa won the World Test Championship against titleholder Australia by five wickets after knocking off the last 69 runs required on the fourth morning of the final on Saturday. The Proteas achieved their first major cricket title in 27 years, sparking celebrations at Lord's. They moved from a portentous 213-2 overnight to 282-5, the second-highest successful run chase in the 141-year test history at the home of cricket. Australia didn't give up the WTC mace easily, relentlessly attacking the stumps and pressuring a South Africa side with an infamous history of blowing winning positions on big ICC stages. But South Africa was staunch and composed — only three boundaries in more than two hours — and lost only three wickets on Saturday in an air of inevitability. The desperate Australians used up all of their three reviews in vain within the first 90 minutes but fought to the end. They took the new ball but were still blunted by a flat pitch. Aiden Markram was the colossus Australia could not topple until it was too late. The opener resumed the day on 102 and was out for 136 when only six more runs were needed. He spent six hours, 23 minutes in the middle. About 15 minutes later, Kyle Verreynne broke the tension by hitting the winning run, a drive into the covers. Markram and captain Temba Bavuma set up the victory with an unbeaten and chanceless partnership of 143 runs the day before. They could not finish what they started, adding only four runs together before Bavuma edged Pat Cummins behind for 66, one more than he had overnight. Tristan Stubbs was castled on 8 by Mitchell Starc with 41 runs needed and South Africa was too close to the finish to be denied. But Markram couldn't have the pleasure himself. With six runs needed to win, he was caught at midwicket by Travis Head off Josh Hazlewood. Australia didn't celebrate. Instead, players slapped Markram on the back and congratulated him on his match-winning knock as the Lord's crowd stood and applauded. ___ AP cricket:
USA Today
15 hours ago
- USA Today
Adam Scott playing 'old man par golf' at U.S. Open, sits 3 shots off lead after 36 holes
Adam Scott playing 'old man par golf' at U.S. Open, sits 3 shots off lead after 36 holes OAKMONT, Pa. – Adam Scott had the line of the day on Thursday to describe the conditions of Oakmont Country Club for the 125th U.S. Open. 'It's really hard. But it's not blow your brains out kind of hard just yet,' he said after shooting 70. One day later, he was asked for a status update. 'Getting there,' he said. 'Guns loaded, maybe.' But so far, it's been relatively stress-free for the Aussie, who is making his 96thconsecutive major appearance at this week's U.S. Open, the longest active streak. After a pair of even-par 70s at Oakmont, he sits T-4, three strokes behind 36-hole leader Sam Burns, and is a legitimate threat to win his second major title. 'I'm playing old-man-par golf at the moment,' he said of eight birdies and eight bogeys and the rest pars at the midway point of the season's third major. Scott, who will turn 45 on the eve of the British Open next month, knows it has been more than 12 years since he won his lone major at the 2013 Masters and his window to add to his total may be running out. How would he describe his window? 'Ajar,' he deadpanned to laughter. 'I'd be pretty proud of winning this thing on the weekend,' he said. 'Right now, that's really what I'm here to do, and I feel like there's probably not been many signs to anyone else but me the last month or six weeks that my game is looking better. But I definitely feel more confident than I have been this year.' Scott is winless on the PGA Tour since the 2020 Genesis Invitational and hasn't recorded a top-10 finish this season. He blamed his iron game, but that part of his game has come alive so far this week to go along with a fairway finder off the tee. He ranks second in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, which has taken much of the stress off the rest of his game, and he ranks seventh in both SG: Tee to Green and Approach the Green and fourth in proximity to the hole. Golf Channel's Paul McGinley summed up well what the veteran Scott has been able to do so far at a place where he experienced one of his lowest of lows in 2007 when he missed the cut. 'The golf swing hasn't changed, but this is kind of out of left field,' McGinley said. 'All of his numbers are bad this year, he hasn't had a top 10… so for him to show up and drive it as well as he has, hit his irons as well as he has, and play with this kind of form, I mean, he looks like a guy who can go out there, put some numbers up on the board and add to his major championship total, and nobody would have really talked about him coming into this week.' Scott visited Oakmont for a practice round the Monday after the Memorial and then made a conscious decision to avoid playing the course too much before the championship got underway. He played early Monday, took Tuesday off and did nine holes Wednesday morning. 'Not that I know the course so well but I didn't want to see balls in the rough and hacking around for three days,' he said. Last month, he made a late run at the PGA Championship before backing up a bit. He'd like nothing more than to be in the trophy hunt and see if his experience can deliver him another major moment. 'I think another major more would really go a long way in fulfilling my own self, when it's all said and done,' he said. 'This is all I'm really playing for are these big events. There's probably eight of them off the top of my mind a year that I really want to win.'
