Power duo of Alice Arnott and Grace Stewart combine in Hockeyroos narrow loss to Belgium

The Hockeyroos are swiftly turning their attention to the next FIH Pro League leg in London, after going down to Belgium in a tight 2-1 loss, in their last outing in Antwerp.

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Buoyed by their 1-0 win over Argentina yesterday, the Hockeyroos felt they were in a better position to be on the winning side of a close match against the hosts, just a few days after they lost in a nail-biting penalty shootout. 

With both sides level at the first break, it would only take a couple of minutes in the second half for the Hockeyroos to take the lead. 

And it would be returning players Grace Stewart and Alice Arnott, who were both forced to sit out of the Perth International Festival of Hockey in April with injuries, who would ensure the Hockeyroos would have the advantage.

A fierce assist by Grace Stewart down the baseline hit the perfect spot for striker Alice Arnott, who was positioned right in front of the goal to finish it off and claim her first goal in only 30 minutes of competition on her return.

"I had a quarter last game and then three quarters this game which definitely tests my patience a little bit sitting on the bench! It feels great to get out there. Anything I can take at the moment is really good!" Alice said post-match.

"[The goal] takes a bit of pressure off so I'm pretty happy to get one on the board... I think scoring also builds good connections and it's nice to have Grace Stewart back out there as well."

But the rest of the half would go Belgium's way, as they earned six penalty corners to Australia's none and despite many great saves from WA goalkeeper Aleisha Powers, eventually, it would pay off. 

Their equaliser coming right before the end of the half with a somewhat lucky goal as the ball narrowly bounced behind the line in the scramble of the penalty corner defence. VAR would confirm the goal by just a few centimetres and Belgium and Australia would start the second half level at 1-1.

As the Hockeyroos defence held strong through the third, it would come down to the fourth quarter with each side desperate to score. Belgium would get it in the 50th minute, through Astrid Bonami's powerful low strike past the goalkeeper's left foot and into the back of the net.  

Moving forward, Alice said they must find a way to play their own, Australian style of play.

"We have a very stringent way of play and it definitely ties into all our strengths, it's about bringing what you can to implement that way of play and work together and that has been a big focus for us.

"We've had a few disappointments, but we're showing we're taking the learnings from them and I think we're building well. London will be really interesting for us and hopefully, we can get a few more wins on the board and increase our confidence before we go into Paris."

The Hockeyroos will play against Great Britain and Germany in London, with the first match against Great Britain at 9.15pm AEST, next Saturday June 8.

Match Details
Hockeyroos v Belgium
Hockeyroos: 1 (Alice Arnott 17' (FG))
Belgium: 2 (Alix Gerniers 28' (PC), Astrid Bonami 50' (FG))
In Antwerp, Belgium

Hockeyroos: 1. Claire Colwill, 4. Amy Lawton, 7. Aleisha Power (gk), 11. Alice Arnott, 12. Greta Hayes, 15. Kaitlin Nobbs (c), 18. Jane Claxton, 20. Karri Somerville, 22. Tatum Stewart, 29. Rebecca Greiner, 30. Grace Stewart, 2. Rosie Malone, 5. Grace Young, 6. Penny Squibb, 8. Maddi Brooks, 13. Hattie Shand, 14. Stephanie Kershaw, 19. Jocelyn Bartram (gk)