Australia beat Dutch, into Champions Trophy final

Sydney: Nic Arrold scored on a 43rd-minute penalty stroke to give Australia a 2-1 win over Beijing

Olympic gold medalists Netherlands today and a place in tomorrow`s women`s field hockey Champions Trophy final. Australia, which needed to win to make the final while the Dutch required only a draw, took a 1-0 lead after two minutes on Casey Eastham`s goal. Maartje Paumen, off a ninth-minute penalty corner, scored the Dutch equalizer at the Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Center. Australia will face Argentina in the final. The South Americans played to a scoreless draw with Germany today in a lackluster final round-robin game that had no bearing on the medal matches before it started. Germany plays the Netherlands in the bronze medal match tomorrow. "Quite a bit was going through my head," Arrold said of her winning goal for Australia. "At the 2005 Champions Trophy in Canberra, I missed a penalty stroke against the Dutch which cost us the match, so it acted as extra motivation." Paumen said the Dutch missed too many opportunities. "Our tournament has been one of great performances, but not enough goals," Paumen said. "When you don`t score, you end up losing games you dominate." Kate Hollywood played her 100th match for Australia, which claimed a slight edge in career Champions Trophy matches between the teams. In 20 matches against the Dutch in the tournament, Australia holds an 8-7 winning edge along with five draws. Bureau Report