The Hockeyroos drew 1-1 with the USA on Saturday in their first match of the eight-nation Hawke's Bay Cup in New Zealand.
Neither team was able to break through in the opening quarter. Despite each being awarded a penalty corner, world No.2 Australia and the eighth-ranked US were unable to convert their attacking opportunities.
Nearly halfway through the second quarter, the Americans broke through the Australian defence at the 22-minute mark, netting their first goal off the back of a penalty corner.
Melissa Gonzalez stepped up to the top of the circle, flicking the ball past Hockeyroos goalkeeper Rachael Lynch and pushing the US to a 1-0 lead.
Three minutes before the third-quarter siren, Hockeyroos forward Emily Smith, well positioned in the Australian attacking circle, netted the equaliser.
It was a key milestone match for Victorian Georgia Nanscawen, who made her 150th appearance for the Hockeyroos, becoming the youngest Australian woman to reach the mark.
Hockeyroos coach Adam Commens said the second half was encouraging.
"We finished the game with good intensity and we created a majority of the opportunities towards the end of the match. Today's performance is closer to where I want the team to be.
"Coming off the back of the China series, we have made some steps forward which is a good sign. There were some excellent pieces of play, however, there were also too many mis-traps and mishandles for my liking."
After playing world No.5 China at the recent International Challenge in Sydney, the Hockeyroos face them again on Sunday (1:30pm AEST) in their second pool match of the tournament, followed on Tuesday by a showdown with 13th-ranked India.
"We know China well and we also know what's successful playing against them. It's about closing down the time that they have on the ball and making sure we are diligent with the strategies that we have. If we can do that, we will hopefully be able to create ourselves more opportunities tomorrow," Commens said.
The week-long Hawke's Bay tournament also features world No.3 Argentina, fourth-ranked New Zealand, No.9 Korea and No.10 Japan.
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