Women’s Hockey Team Paired With Netherlands
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
South Korean women's field hockey team was grouped with world No. 1 Netherlands at the Beijing Olympics.
In a draw announced by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Tuesday, South Korea, which ranks 9th in the world, belongs to Group A with Australia, China, Spain, South Africa and the Netherlands.
Other than the No. 12 African nation, all teams are higher than Korea in the rankings - Australia ranks fourth, China fifth, Spain eighth.
Group B includes Argentina, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, England and the United States.
After the group stage, top two teams from each pool will advance to the semifinals.
Meanwhile, South Korean women pulled off the sixth straight Olympic berth as it routed Italy 5-0 at the World Hockey Qualifier.
In the final game played in Victoria, Canada Monday (Korea Standard Time), manager Yoo Deok's squad exploded early by netting home five times in the first half to secure the last available spot for Beijing easily.
They also beat the Italian team 5-0 in the preliminary round.
With the appearance, they will have competed at all Olympics since the 1988 Seoul event and rounded out the 12-team Olympic tournament.
Park Mi-hyun, who was selected the best player after the match, ignited the scoring showdown in the fourth minute by connecting on a pass from Kim Jong-eun and Lee Seon-ok doubled the lead six minutes later.
Seo Hye-jin and Gim Sung-hee added in the 11th and 16th and the surge was capped by Kim in the 23rd.
While playing six matches during the six-nation tournament, South Korea scored 34 goals and allowed only one - in a 5-1 win over Ireland.
The South Korean national team won two silver medals in the 1988 and 1996 events in Seoul and Atlanta, respectively, but finished 7th in Athens four years ago in the Olympic fixtures.