Dutch shoot-out all black for New Zealand

Defending champions the Netherlands won the Olympics' first ever hockey shoot-out Wednesday to beat dogged New Zealand and reach the women's final. After the teams were locked at 2-2 at full-time and after extra-time, the Dutch dominated the shoot-out as they put away three strikes to New Zealand's one. New Zealand, in the last four for the first time, were given a seventh-minute lead by their captain Kate Sharland from a penalty corner. The Dutch captain Maartje Paumen replied in similar fashion. It was the first goal in London for the Beijing top-scorer. Krystal Forgesson restored the Black Sticks' lead but Paumen produced a near-perfect corner flick into the roof of the net to make the score 2-2. The Dutch were awarded a penalty corner in the second seven-and-a-half-minute period of extra time, which they tried unsuccessfully to have upgraded to a penalty stroke with a video referral. When Paumen took the corner, she shot wide. But the Netherlands didn't flinch in the deciding shoot-out, which they won 3-1. Earlier, German great Natascha Keller set up a goal with her very last touch as she bowed out of women's international hockey with a world-record 425 caps. Keller, 35, presented a clear scoring opportunity to Marie Mavers, who gobbled up the chance in the last minute. The 2004 champions beat South Korea 4-1 in the classification match for seventh and eighth place. Keller also had several scoring attempts but she was unable to add to her 204 international goals, clocked up during her 425 indoor and outdoor women's hockey appearances. German captain Fanny Rinne, 32, who won gold alongside Keller at Athens 2004, got on the scoresheet with a low corner strike as she also played her last international. Lisa Hahn scored Germany's first two goals, which were split by a penalty corner goal by Cheon Seul Ki. Keller's retirement also spells at least a temporary end to the Keller hockey family dynasty, which has collected four gold and three silver medals since 1936.