It was a double scoop for the Fiji hockey teams as both the men and women maintained their dominance in the Pacific Games.
The women bounced back from a stalemate first half to end the game with a 2-0 win over the Solomon Islands.
Playing under the gruelling heat of Honiara, the men’s match was forced to a penalty shoot-out with Ah Yuk Zane, Mack Denzel and Ratu Buli Kelvin stepping up for the role.
Fiji nailed all three penalties to win 3-2 and it was their goalkeeper Sawaki Darren-Lee that made all the difference with a crucial save. Women’s coach Hector Smith said they’ve reaped the rewards of their persistence.
“We had two things to attempt one was to qualify for the World Cup which happened in July and to defend our number one status in the Pacific Games. We are aware that all the other nations are getting better because no team likes to lose. We saw that other teams are improving immensely and we had two options, one we quit or make do with what we got and we chose the latter.
“I think we have reaped the reward because if we keep finding excuses, we’ll get nowhere. I counted about four good opportunities to score, it was just the final touches that weren’t getting there, there was a bit casual approach to it, they needed to put force and I emphasized to them that all the hard-work we don’t want to come to nothing. If you don’t listen to what we set out to do than that’s the recipe for disaster but if you respect yourself, you’ll do the right thing,” Smith stated.
“I’ve been coaching men most of my life but when I coached these women, I’m surprised how powerful a woman can be.”
The win was a testament of their determination through venue struggles in Fiji.
“When it came down to the penalty shoot-out, the only thing that came to our heads was to look up to the Lord and ask for help. This victory means a lot to us because of the struggles we’ve had behind it in terms of preparation and stuff,” Fiji men’s coach Alsace Smith said.
“Our families back home made a lot of sacrifices to make sure that these boys get here safely with everything that they have.”
