Japan bounced back from two straight defeats to beat New Zealand 2-0 for its first Olympic victory in women's field hockey and keep alive its slim hopes of reaching the semifinals at the Athens Games.
Tomomi Komori scored in each half and goalkeeper Nami Miyazaki pulled off a string of fine saves as the Japanese defense held out in the face of 19 shots on goal by the New Zealanders.
The victory came after Japan fell to China 3-0 and Argentina 3-1 earlier in the preliminary round of Pool A. China beat Spain for its third win in as many matches while Argentina, which did not play Wednesday, has two wins out from two matches.