Junior men push Austria despite illness-hit camp
Hockey
Namibia’s U21 field hockey sides continued their Junior World Cup campaigns with spirited performances on opposite sides of the globe, as the men were edged out by Austria in a dramatic shootout in Madurai, India, while the women lost 4-1 to Ireland in their second Pool C match on Wednesday, in Santiago, Chile.Men's Junior World Cup – Madurai, India
Austria 2-2 Namibia (Austria win shootout 2-0)
In a match filled with intensity and determination, Namibia’s U21 men were denied a second World Cup victory by the narrowest of margins, losing 2-0 in a shootout after a 2-2 full-time draw.
All four goals came during a lively third quarter, following a goalless opening half.
Namibia struck first through a well-executed penalty corner, with captain John-Paul Britz firing home the opener. Austria equalised shortly after via Benedikt Meisel, but Britz restored Namibia’s lead from the penalty spot after a stroke was awarded.
A turning point came late in the third quarter when Mathew Lassen received a 10-minute yellow card, forcing Namibia to play the remainder of the match with ten men. Austria capitalised before the chukka ended, as Julian Kaiser levelled the score with a penalty-corner finish.
Despite Austria applying pressure and earning four penalty corners in the final quarter, Namibia’s defence held firm to force the match into a shootout. Austria converted twice, while Namibia were unable to find the net.
Captain John-Paul Britz, scorer of both Namibian goals, praised his teammates’ resilience under difficult circumstances.
“We did what we wanted to do, kept our structure and waited for our chances. Going a man down for 10 minutes made it tough, but we held on. I’m proud of the boys.
“Half our team is not feeling healthy, some are vomiting, some very sick, but everyone kept fighting. It shows huge heart.”
He added that the younger team members might need some time to process the loss. “We’ll let them grieve however they need to. Then tomorrow, on our off day, we’ll reset.”
Assistant coach Randy Slabbert echoed Britz’s admiration for the squad’s spirit despite the illness sweeping through the camp.
“World Cup wins don’t come easy, and coming this close feels devastating. We had several players unwell, even on the sidelines, and it even became a challenge to keep eleven guys on the pitch. We also played 17 minutes with a man down (Abraham Graham also received a late yellow) which compounded the pressure.
“But the effort was immense — we took the lead twice and we contained them well. Losing in a shootout is tough to swallow, but the boys gave everything.”
Namibia now have a day and a half to recover before their next playoff match for positions 17-24. They’ll play against Canada on Saturday, after the latter lost 2-3 against China yesterday.
Women’s Junior World Cup – Santiago, Chile
Ireland 4-1 Namibia
Namibia’s U21 women delivered a brave performance on Wednesday, but were unable to contain a sharp and well-structured Irish side in their second Pool C encounter on the blue turf of the Estadio Nacional.
Ireland seized control immediately, producing six circle entries in the opening quarter and scoring inside the first minute through Hollai Quinn, who doubled the lead early in the second quarter. Milla Fulton extended the advantage to 3-0 in the 18th minute as Ireland dominated territory with two sustained penalty-corner sequences.
After halftime, Ireland continued their fluid build-up and went 4-0 up when Maia McCourt finished off a high-tempo passing move.
Namibia responded with their best spell of the match in the final quarter, earning consecutive penalty corners and scoring through Anthea Coetzee in the 58th minute.
Reflecting on her goal and the team’s effort, Coetzee said: “The game was good, it’s not the result we wanted. We really wanted to win, but it is what it is. It was not just my goal, it was a team goal, it was a team effort, and that I can say with pride.
“It’s not just the coaches, it’s also us players, because we wanted to win. Now, having a goal, I mean, it proves we can do it.”
Irish captain Amy Handcock said her side were “happy with the performance overall”, though she noted they would have preferred a stronger finish.
In the other Pool C fixture, unbeaten Germany defeated India 3-1 to win a competitive group.
Namibia’s women next face Germany, ranked among the top three in the world, in their last group match on Friday at 16:15 (Namibian time), which could be their toughest test yet.