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GB women's hockey captain praises team's grit after quarter-final loss to reigning champions Netherlands
GB women had a tough ask when they came up against reigning Olympic champions and world number one Netherlands but fought hard to prove their strength
By Paul Martin at Stade Yves-du-Manoir
Charlotte Watson’s maiden taste of the Olympics has made her all the more determined to ensure it is not her last.
Watson was part of the Team GB women’s hockey side beaten 3-1 by the Netherlands last night as the reigning champions proved too strong.
But the 26-year-old from Dundee had nothing but pride in how her side stayed in the fight against a relentless Dutch side who are seeking a fourth gold in the last five Olympics.
“It’s quite hard to put into words,” she said. “I thought we played really well.
“We had so much belief as a team. Nine out of 10 times, the Dutch would beat us but we just needed that one time. Unfortunately, that wasn’t this time.
“There has been times in the last couple of years when I wasn’t getting paid when I wondered if I wanted to continue. But being here has been so special.”
David Ralph’s side were huge underdogs coming into the last-eight clash and the signs looked ominous when they fell behind inside 50 seconds as Netherlands skipper Xan de Waard fired into the bottom corner.
But the Dutch did not have it all their own way as GB stuck to their task and they found an equaliser when Hannah French fired home a loose ball after Amy Costello’s shot had been blocked from a penalty corner.
Netherlands restored their advantage in the dying moments of the first half, Luna Noa Fokke converting after Jansen’s strike was saved by Miriam Pritchard.
Fokke then made the game safe within a minute of the start of the final quarter, converting another rebound despite Pritchard's best efforts.
It means Britain’s women finish outside the medal places for the first time since Beijing 2008 but captain Hollie Pearne-Webb called for perspective.
“I think the British public have been incredibly spoilt over the last three Olympics with the women’s squad,” she said.
“It’s not normal to medal at Olympic Games if you look at world rankings. I think that’s sometimes what people forget.
“I’m incredibly proud of the girls and how we’ve shown up. We didn’t roll over.
“A lot of sides could have come in being very fearful in terms of how dominant the Dutch are and we didn’t. We stood up and we fought.”
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