SA stick it to Argentina until Gorzelany hat-trick turns tide

Zaahier Adams

Argentina superstar Agustina Gorzelany broke the South African women’s hockey team’s hearts with a brilliantly executed hat-trick in a pulsating 2024 Paris Olympic encounter last night.

The Tokyo silver medallists ran out 4-2 victors, but not after the South Africans had given them the fright of their lives. South Africa were leading 2-1 heading into the fourth and final quarter and on the verge of the greatest shock result in Olympic history.

But that’s when Gorzelany, who had earlier levelled matters after Marie Louw’s opener for South Africa, converted two penalty corners within a minute to put Argentina ahead for the first time in the match.

Gorzelany’s double strike deflated the previous indomitable spirit of the South Africans as they simply could not stop Julieta Jankunas from adding a fourth goal to nail down Argentina’s victory.

And yet it could all have been so different after South Africa absorbed the early pressure, including having to utilise a referral to have an early goal disallowed, before Louw shocked the crowd at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir with the opening goal.

It was at the end of the first quarter when South Africa were awarded a penalty corner and Giles Bonnet’s team made immediate use of the opportunity. The injection was good, coupled with a solid stop, before Louw stepped up to drill home the match opener.

Louw’s prowess from penalty corners is renowned after recently striking home a double to secure a series win over France earlier this month in the build-up to the Paris Olympics.

Having conceded the goal, the Argentinians returned to the sky blue astroturf determined to make amends in the second quarter.

The South Americans forced two short corners within a couple of minutes of the restart before Gorzelany finally converted the pressure into an equaliser to level the game at 1-1.

The girls in green and yellow were determined to show that they were not going to be overrun by their higher ranked opponents, and fought their way back into the contest on the transition.

There was a golden opportunity to take the lead when Celia Seerane latched on to a long ball inside the Argentinian circle. The 34-year-old, who came out of international retirement for this Olympics at Bonnet’s request, unleashed a thunderous reverse stick shot, but the Argentinian goalkeeper was up to the task.

South Africa were not to be denied, however, as they stormed back with two successive penalty corners of their own shortly before half-time.

On this occasion, the South Africans changed their tactics with the experienced Quanita Bobbs slapping the ball across the Argentinian goal for Kayla de Waal to show great courage in diving in front of the Argentinian defender and deflecting the ball into the net.

It was De Waal’s second goal of the Paris Olympics after also netting against Australia in the previous game.

Unfortunately for the South Africans, they could not hold on to their lead for the remainder of the match as the Argentinians’ experience and class shone through in the final quarter.