The Hockeyroos will play for Commonwealth Games gold after scraping past India in a dramatic and controversial penalty shootout in the semifinal.
After being locked at 1-1 at the end of regulation time, Australia booked their spot in the final with a 3-0 win on strokes.
The penalty shootout was not without controversy through, with Australian Rosie Malone able to redo an unsuccessful first stroke after the clock did not start, which she would score.
With their quarter-final loss at last year’s Olympics firmly in their mind, Rebecca Greiner scored the only goal for Australia in the first quarter.
Having led for most of the game, the Hockeyroos conceded early in the final quarter before a dramatic final minute where Australia looked as if they were going to score a late winner, only to be denied by a tough Indian defence.
The Hockeyroos will now face hosts England for a gold medal after they defeated defending champions New Zealand on penalties earlier in the day.
Australia went on the attack early but were dealt the first blow when West Australian Karri Somerville was sidelined after a deflected ball hit her in the face early in the first quarter.
It appeared to rattle the Hockeyroos momentarily as Somerville was taken from the pitch.
After a fantastic save from goalkeeper Aliesha Power denied India an early lead from a penalty corner scramble, the Hockeyroos counter-attacked.
And it ended perfectly for the Australians, with an excellent pass from Mariah Williams finding the stick of Greiner who deflected it into the back of the net to open the scoring.
India survived another scare when a defender managed to deflect an excellent penalty corner from Renee Taylor, who showcased her power.
Australia’s young defense was forced to weather a number of Indian attacks that threatened to level the scores in the second term, while there was drama with two controversial video reviews.
The Hockeyroos swung the momentum back their way and had India’s defense under immense pressure with numerous penalty corners, but India captain and goalkeeper Savita held her nerve to keep Australia at bay.
India finally found the equalizer early in the final term when Vandana Katariya deflected the ball into the net, the first goal they’d conceded all tournament, to set up a penalty shootout finish.
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