Namibia Claims 4-0 Victory in Opening Test Against Croatia. Namibia’s women’s indoor hockey team kicked off their test series against Croatia with a dominant 4-0 win in the first match, held in Zelina on Monday evening.
It was a memorable game for captain Gillian Hermanus, who marked her 50th international appearance with a goal. Along with Hermanus, Tara Myburgh, Jivanka Kruger, and Kiana Cormack each scored, contributing to the comprehensive victory.
Croatia had a few opportunities early on, but Namibian goalkeeper Petro Stoffberg made crucial saves, stopping shots from Lucija Čepo and Saša Abramović. As the game progressed, Namibia gained control. Jahntwa Kruger was effective on the right wing, and Cormack launched counterattacks that had Croatia’s defense scrambling.
The first goal came late in the first quarter when Myburgh capitalized on a perfectly timed pass from Cormack and slotted it past Croatia’s keeper, Nicole Stepic.
Croatia’s attempt to level the score in the second quarter failed after a short corner, and Namibia doubled their lead when Hermanus deflected a cross from Cormack into the net at the 17-minute mark.
Cormack continued to play a key role in Namibia’s third goal early in the third quarter, setting up Kruger, who scored to make it 3-0.
In the final quarter, Croatia’s indiscipline led to a few green cards, and just before the end of the match, Cormack added a fourth goal to secure the dominant win.
