New Zealand swept past England 3-1 to register their third straight win in the Champions Challenge hockey tournament here today.Goals by Ryan Archibald (10th), Hayden Shaw (48th) and Dean Couzins (62nd) carried the Kiwis to nine points from three games. England, for whom Rob Moore (43rd) scored the only goal, suffered their third consecutive defeat that virtually put them out of contention for a berth in Sunday’s final.In a fast-paced match played in dry but chilly weather, England did well to draw level after conceding an early goal. But the Black Sticks hit back and made most of the opportunities to emerge clear-cut winners.The exchanges were fast and furious with both teams resorting to long passes and some excellent ball rotation. At the other end, New Zealand had a few scoring chance and Hayden Shah’s towering presence at penalty corners proved to be a decisive factor. It was Hayden’s drive that led to a hectic goalmouth scramble from which Archibald flicked the ball home for the first Kiwi goal. Hayden was back in action in the second-half with a powerful drag-flick conversion and later, his another attempt struck Moore on the face mask leading to a penalty stroke that Couzins converted.In another match, Argentina rode two first-half goals to script a much-needed win against Japan. It was Argentina’s second win in three matches while Japan slid to their second defeat and have three points from the lone win against Belgium on the opening day.
