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New Zealand Youth player Rosie Keddell - Source: Photosport -
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The young New Zealand Youth Olympics team defeated Korea 5-4 in the girls' bronze medal match played in Singapore today.
Korea came back after being 1-4 down and tied the score to 4-4 in the 69th minute.
The game went into extra time for 142 seconds when Michaela Curtis scored the golden goal.
Kiwi Rhiannon Dennison scored three goals making her new top scorer in this tournament.
Korea started off with great pace and wanted something quick. In the second minute they won a penalty which failed but shortly afterwards Park Eunjung received a pass near the circle-line and defeated Kiwi goalkeeper Sarah Metthews in a one-on-one.
Park was sent off with a yellow card due to a stick tackle in the 10th minute. While team Korea was short in numbers the young Kiwis scored twice. Rhiannon Dennison equalised with a penalty corner goal and only three minutes later it was Dennison again who scored.
She combined well with Jamie Bolton and deflected her shot into the net. Korean goalkeeper Oh Yeeseul who replaced Hong Mira after the equaliser had no chance. New Zealand extended its lead in the 25th minute when Kate McCaw flicked the ball over Oh's head into the goal.
In the 28th minute Korean coach Jeon Hong Kwon let his goalkeepers swop again.
Korea missed a strike back when two penalty corners failed at the beginning of the second half. Dennison made a hat-trick in the 47th minute when she smashed the rebound of Amy Barry's shot into the net. The young Kiwi is also new tournament top scorer having scored seven goals in total.
Choi Suji's 4-2 brought hopes back to Korea when her shot on goal passed four New Zealand defenders who did not seem to pay attention.
Afterwards a penalty corner shot from Kim Sol was saved by a New Zealand defender's foot on the goal-line and umpire Hannah Sanders awarded a penalty stroke to Korea. This was successfully taken by Nam So Ri. Team Korea was back into the game and went for the equaliser.
Team-captain Kang Jina tied the score to 4-4 in the 69th minute when her deflected shot hit a New Zealand defender's head and the ball went over the goal-line.
Then Michaela Curtis scored the golden goal after the umpire gave a great advantage.
