by EZRA STUART

Barbados’ goalscorer Tricia-Ann Greaves (left) blocking this pass by Meredith Keller of the United States.

Lack of experience and inadequate exposure to international competitions are the major obstacles in the way of Barbados’ progress in women’s hockey.

Coach Peter Norville lamented the lack of regular top-quality competition after Barbados were beaten 1-7 by the United States in the Pan American Women’s Hockey Championship at the Astroturf of the Garfield Sobers Complex, yesterday.

“Regardless of how quick the pace that you train and practise at, it is never the same as competition,” Norville told the WEEKENDSPORT.

“The only way that you learn to compete is in competition and, as a result, we would have to be competing much more often to be able to rectify that problem,” Norville said.

After conceding six goals in the first half, a more energised and enthusiastic Barbados team displayed more determination and defended dourly in the second session.

As a result, with goalkeeper Lana Als producing a series of superb saves, defender Dionne Clarke hustling and tackling the American forwards, and Angela Thompson making moves in midfield, the Barbadians allowed just one more goal while scoring a consolation goal.

Tricia-Ann Greaves scored Barbados’ goal in the 57th minute with a firmly struck shot from a penalty short corner, which was earned by Corlette Kellman.

It was one of the two short corners Barbados got in the entire match. Teenager Charlia Warner earned the other but the Bajans failed to get a second goal from it.

Before Barbados’ lone goal, they were trailing 0-7 after Tracey Fuchs, scored from two penalty corners in the ninth and 30th minutes. Kristen McCann (fourth), Angela Loy (seventh), Kate Barber (22nd), Tamika Smith (25th) and Keli Smith (43rd) got the other goals from field play.

Norville said that because the Barbados team comprises so many young players, it is always going to be difficult to go full blast.

But he said as time goes on, “the players have to become more confident in their own minds that they can actually compete at this level”.

“As a result, they tend to pace themselves somewhat and then by half-time when you have a chance to talk to them, they realise that they can actually get something out of the game and hence we tend to perform much better in the second half.”

He said this was something that the management of the team would have to address.

“Maybe, it is a mental problem that as time goes on we will be able to rectify. But what we can take away [from this] is the development of team attack and at the same time, tightened defence, because they were brilliant moments of team defence,” Norville said.

“But overall, we have been very guilty primarily of inexperience of saving the first shot and allowing the second shot.

“It is getting better and with time, we will probably be able to iron out all these little kinks in defence. But it is a matter of training in these things a lot more and doing them in competition.”

Assistant coach of the United States’ team Nick Conway lauded the Barbadians for their spirited second-half effort.

“We are happy with the first half but we went off the boil. This was because Barbados showed great spirit. They never gave up, which is refreshing,” Conway said.

“But they made up defence with extreme discipline for the entire game. They need more experience and they need to compete in tournaments like this on a regular basis,” he said.

Compliments of the Nation News

BARBADOS finished sixth in the Pan American Women’s Hockey Cup after going down 2-5 to Chile at the National Hockey Centre yesterday.

Information compliments of the Nation News