Junior men narrowly miss out on world top 8
Inline hockey
The Namibian junior men inline hockey team had to reset their goal towards achieving the ninth place, after narrowly failing to qualify for the top 8 at the 2018 World Skate Inline Hockey Championships hosted once again in the Italian cities Asiago and Roana.
Namibia was placed in Pool E with New Zealand, China and Latvia.
Upon arrival, immediate training sessions were held and exhibition games played against France and Canada, with solid results, to finalise their preparation for the tasks ahead.
Namibia started off with a bang last Saturday, earning three points by walk-over as Latvia withdrew from the competition.
Next up in the pool stage on Sunday was the match against China, which Namibia won hands-down 14-0, with all 14 goals scored in the first period. Ivan Reviglio of Namibia scored four goals.
On Monday, a big game awaited them against New Zealand. It turned out to be a fast game with New Zealand taking the lead 3-1, but Namibia came back strongly to equalise with six minutes left. With one minute remaining before the final whistle, Namibia pulled their goalie, thus allowing five outfield players onto the rink and subsequently Liam Strydom scored the winning goal, making it 4-3 in favour of Namibia.
The strategic move paid off handsomely – finishing as winners of Pool E. Overall the boys played great and really showed some grit, getting the job done.
Namibia next moved on into a barrage pool with opponents Canada and Poland and also to have a shot at the top eight places at the World Cup.
So on Monday evening, Namibia faced Poland, producing a solid win of 8-2. Stefan Bartsch and Wim van der Plas scored two goals each, with other players also scoring their debut World Cup goals.
On Tuesday morning, Namibia faced Canada – a tough opponent on the road to the top eight.
Unfortunately Namibia conceded their first loss at the World Cup (3-7), having enjoyed three wins in a row. According to coach Brian Sobel, good effort was put in by the boys, yet some mistakes cost Namibia dearly.
On Tuesday evening, Namibia played Switzerland for yet another chance to make the top 8 and lost unfortunately. Their goal however remains to finish well in the Nations Cup division (places 9-19).
The top 8 qualifying teams were France, Czech Republic and Sweden from Pool A, while Spain, USA and Italy advanced from Pool B.
Namibia was placed in Pool E with New Zealand, China and Latvia.
Upon arrival, immediate training sessions were held and exhibition games played against France and Canada, with solid results, to finalise their preparation for the tasks ahead.
Namibia started off with a bang last Saturday, earning three points by walk-over as Latvia withdrew from the competition.
Next up in the pool stage on Sunday was the match against China, which Namibia won hands-down 14-0, with all 14 goals scored in the first period. Ivan Reviglio of Namibia scored four goals.
On Monday, a big game awaited them against New Zealand. It turned out to be a fast game with New Zealand taking the lead 3-1, but Namibia came back strongly to equalise with six minutes left. With one minute remaining before the final whistle, Namibia pulled their goalie, thus allowing five outfield players onto the rink and subsequently Liam Strydom scored the winning goal, making it 4-3 in favour of Namibia.
The strategic move paid off handsomely – finishing as winners of Pool E. Overall the boys played great and really showed some grit, getting the job done.
Namibia next moved on into a barrage pool with opponents Canada and Poland and also to have a shot at the top eight places at the World Cup.
So on Monday evening, Namibia faced Poland, producing a solid win of 8-2. Stefan Bartsch and Wim van der Plas scored two goals each, with other players also scoring their debut World Cup goals.
On Tuesday morning, Namibia faced Canada – a tough opponent on the road to the top eight.
Unfortunately Namibia conceded their first loss at the World Cup (3-7), having enjoyed three wins in a row. According to coach Brian Sobel, good effort was put in by the boys, yet some mistakes cost Namibia dearly.
On Tuesday evening, Namibia played Switzerland for yet another chance to make the top 8 and lost unfortunately. Their goal however remains to finish well in the Nations Cup division (places 9-19).
The top 8 qualifying teams were France, Czech Republic and Sweden from Pool A, while Spain, USA and Italy advanced from Pool B.
Kommentaar
Republikein
Geen kommentaar is op hierdie artikel gelaat nie