Nicola’s bronze in shoot-out drama

Nicola White - bronze medal

HOCKEY:

NICOLA White will head back to the UK today with a brilliant bronze medal after a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory at the World League Final tournament in Argentina.

After losing to eventual runners-up Australia in the semi-finals on Saturday, White’s England faced a third-place play-off against the hosts, who are the world’s top-ranked team.

The two teams couldn’t be separated after 70 minutes of play an the match ended 1-1, with Laura Unsworth grabbing the England goal.

The heroics came in the penalty shoot-out as Jason Lee’s England roared to a 4-2 success thanks to goals from Helen Richardson-Walsh, Alex Danson, Susie Gilbert and Sally Walton.

Oldham’s White, a forward with top women’s hockey side Leicester, was overjoyed after securing bronze.

She said: “It’s not very often you beat Argentina on their home soil, so we are all very proud to have secured a bronze medal. We really had to dig deep. It was a hot evening and taking it to shuffles is always nerve-wracking.

“But these winning performances are ones you to cherish as an athlete. Now England is ranked third in the world, and I believe this team has lots more medals in it. There’s exciting times ahead for us.”

Olympic champions the Netherlands beat Australia in the final after the Hockeyroos had beaten England 3-0 in the last four.