A horror second half has seen the New Zealand women's hockey team slump to a 7-3 loss to Argentina in the opening match of the Four Nations tournament in Cordoba today.
Goals from Cat Finlayson and Krystal Forgesson saw the Black Sticks level 2-2 at halftime against the world's No 2-ranked team.
But Argentina made the most of the second half, scoring five goals when co-captain and defensive stalwart Kayla Sharland was rotated off the field for the Kiwis.
Finlayson completed her brace in the second spell, but too many defensive lapses cost the Black Sticks.
"Argentina hurt us big time on the counter-attack in the second half. We were unable to hold onto the ball for long periods, we didn't defend well and we weren't able to stop their penalty corners from finding the back of the net,'' Black Sticks coach Mark Hager said. "Although we haven't had international competition in the last three months, we can't use that as an excuse. We still have to be more consistent throughout the 70 minutes and really dig in and be more competitive when it matters.''
New Zealand face Korea tomorrow at 11.30am (NZ time) before they play Great Britain on Sunday at 9am (NZ time).
They then go to Rosario for the Champions Trophy where they will meet Argentina again in their first game, on January 29.
Argentina 7 New Zealand 3 (Krystal Forgesson 2, Cat Finlayson) HT: 2-2
