The Black Sticks Men have continued their winning ways at the FIH World League Semi-Final in Buenos Aires, clinching a 2-1 victory against Japan.
Today's win puts the Kiwis on six points and places them in a strong position ahead of their next match against world No.2 the Netherlands at5am on Monday (NZ time).
Assistant coach Bryce Collins says although Japan mounted a spirited comeback today, it's pleasing that the Black Sticks did what was needed to hold onto the game.
"Going into this game we had a big focus on just improving our basics, playing with forward intent, and making sure our passing and receiving was as good as it could be.
The speed and execution was much better than our match against Egypt and because of that we created a lot more chances," said Collins.
"Our attack wasn't as strong in the second half, but throughout that period I thought it was a committed and disciplined defensive display, and when we needed to scramble and get back, we did."
Collins says the team are looking forward to their next match against the Dutch on Monday and the two day break will give them good time to prepare.
"The Dutch are obviously a high quality side and they are experts at creating and holding possession, so we will have to work hard to maintain possession when we have it. The guys are definitely up for this challenge - we can match them physically, we will have some chances, we can defend well - it's just about putting it all together - it's a good test."
In today's game, the Black Sticks grabbed the lead in just the fourth minute when the Japanese defenders were caught off guard and North Harbour's Steve Edwards tapped the ball over the line.
On the stats card, the Black Sticks were dominating in all areas of the game in the first quarter and it was only a matter of time before they doubled their lead. It happened in the 15th minute when a miss-trapped penalty corner was kept alive and captain Simon Child was perfectly positioned in front of the goal to deflect in his second of the tournament.
A spirited fightback from Japan at the end of the second quarter continued into the second half, but New Zealand were rock solid in defence with Southern's Kane Russell and goalkeeper Devon Manchester both making critical saves in the third quarter and keeping the Kiwis in the game.
In the final quarter, Japan were rewarded for their attacking play in the 59th minute when Kenji Kitazato pegged one back, but with only a minute left on the clock it was too little, too late to find the equaliser.
The top three finishers from the tournament automatically qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, with the top four progressing to the World League Final in India (28 Nov - 6 Dec, 2015). The Black Sticks Men now face the Dutch at 5am on Monday (NZ time) ahead of Korea at 9am on Wednesday before progressing to a must win quarter-final game on Friday 12 June.
