Spanish women rally from two goals down vs Australia to clinch shootout win

newsyweb.com February 23, 2026 4 minutes read

Jubilant Spanish women

Lausanne, Switzerland :The Australian women squandered a two-goal advantage and lost in the shootout to miss out on the bonus point against Spanish women in Hobart on Monday. In contrast, the Australia extended their unbeaten run with a composed 3–0 victory in the corresponding men’s fixture.

(Women’s) Australia 2 – 2 Spain (SO: 1-2)

Spain battled back from two goals down to deny the Hockeyroos their first outright win of the FIH Hockey Pro League season, securing a 2-2 draw and then clinching the extra point in the shootout.

The Hockeyroos signalled their attacking intent from the outset, finding the back of the net inside the opening 30 seconds, only for the effort to be ruled out after touching an Australian foot. The home side were eventually rewarded for their intensity late in the first quarter when Georgina West drove the ball in from the right, and it rebounded into goal off the Spanish keeper with just over two minutes remaining before the first break. The Hockeyroos continued to enjoy the better chances in the second period and held onto their 1-0 lead at half time.

The home side struck again early in the second half when Courtney Schonell worked her way into the circle and squared for Lexie Pickering, who swept the ball in under the keeper’s leg at the near post to double the advantage in the 33rd minute. Spain earned their second penalty corner of the match at the start of the final quarter, with Candela Mejias scoring from the left post off the rebound to close the gap in the 48^th minute. That galvanised the Spanish, who shifted gears, piled on the pressure, and created several excellent opportunities. Having pulled off their keeper with three minutes to go, they earned another penalty corner and a low, hard hit from Xantal Gine secured the equaliser in the 59^th minute. That sent the match into a shootout, which Spain won to claim the extra point..

Spain’s Clara Perez was named as player of the match and said: “We always say that we have two different matches to play. If the first goes not the way we like it to go, we always have another one, that is the shootouts for us, and we really prepare them, so we are really comfortable in those situations.”

(Men’s) Australia 3 – 0 Spain

Australia’s men produced a clinical performance to claim a 3-0 win as Jordi Bonastre marked his 100^th match in Spanish colours.

The Kookaburras enjoyed the best possible start to the match. An excellent team effort saw the action shifted upfield with an aerial ball, ending with Tim Brand squaring for Joel Rintala to fire the Aussies ahead in the first minute. It was a fairly evenly contested first half after the early action, with both sides having their chances and the home side still holding the one-goal advantage heading into half time.

The hosts struck again in the third quarter, earning their first penalty corner, which resulted in a penalty stroke after the ball struck a defender’s foot on the line. Captain Jeremy Hayward calmly converted to make it 2–0 in the 36th minute. Tom Craig then produced a moment of magic, surging forward from midfield and combining neatly with Nathan Czinner before collecting the return pass and deftly lifting the ball and tapping it home at full pace for Australia’s third in the 44th minute. Spain won their first and only penalty corner with 13 seconds left in the third quarter, but were unable to capitalise as the Aussies wrapped up the 3-0 win.

Australia’s Tom Craig was named as player of the match and said: “It’s just the start of the year really. We know that all teams are going to improve throughout the year. There are a lot of things that we can definitely improve on.”

Current Hero Top Scorers:

Women – Yibbi Jansen (NED) (8 goals)

Men – Tomas Domene (ARG) (12 goals)

To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Pro League, click here.

FIH Hockey Pro League – 23 February 2026

Tasmania Hockey Centre, Hobart (AUS)

Women

Result: Match 34 (W)

Australia 2 – 2 Spain (SO: 1-2)

Player of the match: Clara Perez (ESP)

Umpires: Sophie Bockelmann (GER), Lani Nichol (NZL), Rebecca Edwards (ENG-video)

Men