A goal two minutes before halftime from Hockeyroos forward Georgia Nanscawen helped the Australian women to a 1-1 draw with China on Saturday in the second match of their International Challenge in Sydney.
Despite inclement weather, crowds flocked to Sydney Olympic Park to watch the Hockeyroos battle back in front of a boisterous home crowd after suffering a 4-1 defeat on Thursday evening in their first game.
Having absorbed Australia's early pressure, China were the first on the scoreboard in the 12th minute, with Xiaoxue Zhang's deflected shot going past Hockeyroos goalkeeper Rachael Lynch.
The Hockeyroos' best chance to level came in the second quarter, when youngster Renee Taylor teamed up with Hockeyroos captain Madonna Blyth. The pair worked the ball to the top of the attacking circle, with Blyth sending the ball only marginally wide.
Teamwork paid dividends for the Hockeyroos soon afterwards and again Blyth was involved. Setting up the play, Blyth threaded a quick pass through the Chinese defence to Nanscawen who finished it off with a well-executed goal to equalise.
Despite dominating possession and winning two penalty corners in the second half, the Hockeyroos could not find the winning goal.
Nanscawen said she thought it was a much-improved performance from the Hockeyroos.
"It was really nice to score one like that ... We had some great attacking opportunities and hopefully we can convert some of those on Monday night."
Hockeyroos coach Adam Commens was happier with the team's second performance in the three-match series.
"There were some encouraging signs, a higher intensity and tempo. We created a lot of opportunities. We just now need to be more precise in our attacking circle, to be more composed and finish the chances that we get."
Ahead of June's women's World League semi-final tournament, an Olympic qualifying event, Commens gave some insight into the type of team they were looking to build.
"The encouraging sign here is that we have a group of girls that can be competitive against a high-class opponent.
"We do have a number of senior players still to come back into the line-up and I'd envisage they'll strengthen it up but the good sign is these players are doing it now and they're more than capable of playing international hockey."
Recent debutant Taylor impressed teammates and the crowd.
"(In) the first game, I was definitely pretty nervous - after the anthem, I remember going out on the field and going 'Oh my god, my heart is racing' but, second game in, I calmed down a little and just did what I needed to do."
The final match of the International Challenge is on Monday at 3pm (AEST).
Share
