Australia won their second successive Commonwealth Games women's hockey gold with a nerve-wracking 4-2 win over New Zealand on penalties in the final here on Wednesday. Jessica Nicole scored the winner while Krystal Forgesson missed her attempt in the penalty shoot-out after the scores were tied 2-2 at the end of the regulation period and extra-time.
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The defending champions, ranked one rung over New Zealand at six, were tested by their gritty trans-Tasman rivals in the high-intensity clash played before a sizeable crowd at the sun-baked Major Dhyan Chand stadium. The victory - Australia's first in a major tournament after their gold in the 2006 Melbourne Games - turned out to be a sweet send-off for coach Frank Murray, who is set to quit after the event.
"It was a fairly even game," said Australian forward Megan Rivers. "There were periods when we were on top and periods when they were on top. There is always a lot of rivalry when we play each other. "It is fantastic to win the gold because there are many girls in the team who are playing their first Games. It is huge for everyone in the team." It was Nicole who put Australia in the lead in the ninth minute after converting a penalty corner with a searing drag-flick that tore past Kiwi keeper Beth Jurgeleit.
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Gold Silver Bronze Total
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Australia 72 50 47 169
England 37 56 45 138
India 36 26 34 96
Canada 26 17 32 75
South Africa 12 11 10 33
Nigeria 10 10 13 33
Kenya 10 10 8 28
Scotland 9 10 7 26
Singapore 9 8 9 26
Malaysia 8 8 12 28
New Zealand 5 22 7 34
N Ireland 3 3 4 10
Samoa 3 0 1 4
Wales 2 6 10 18
Jamaica 2 4 1 7
Cyprus 2 3 2 7
Pakistan 2 1 2 5
Uganda 2 0 0 2
Bahamas 1 1 3 5
Sri Lanka 1 1 1 3
Nauru 1 1 0 2
Botswana 1 0 3 4
St. Vincent 1 0 0 1
Cayman Islands 1 0 0 1
Trinidad and Tobago 0 4 2 6
Cameroon 0 2 4 6
Ghana 0 1 3 4
Namibia 0 1 2 3
Papua New Guinea 0 1 0 1
Seychelles 0 1 0 1
Mauritius 0 0 2 2
Isle of Man 0 0 2 2
Tonga 0 0 2 2
Bangladesh 0 0 1 1
St. Lucia 0 0 1 1
Guyana 0 0 1 1
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