Australia's women's hockey team have completed their FIH Pro League campaign with a 3-2 penalty shootout bonus-point win over Belgium.
The Hockeyroos drew 1-1 with their hosts in Antwerp at the end of regulation time before goalkeeper Jocelyn Bartram led them to victory, just like she did a week earlier against the Netherlands.
The result leaves Katrina Powell's side top of the standings with seven wins and 31 points from their 16 matches. Seven of the eight teams below them still have games in hand, including the world No.1-ranked Dutch who sit six points adrift with seven matches in hand.
"It was awesome to finish our European tour like that after playing the Netherlands and Belgium who are both really good teams," player of the match Amy Lawton said.
"Shootouts are always tough ... they can go either way. We stuck to our process and have worked on our shootouts throughout this whole Pro League series, so it was a good opportunity to give it a go and luckily we came out on top."
Three days earlier the Hockeyroos recorded a 2-0 win over the same opposition and they opened the scoring on 10 minutes through Steph Kershaw after surviving a Belgian penalty corner.
Lawton found Kershaw in the circle and she managed to send her shot through the diving legs of Belgian goalkeeper Elena Sotgiu.
The home side levelled in the 27th minute courtesy of a Stephanie Vanden Borre drag flick that beat Bartram low to her left.
Maddy Fitzpatrick and Rosie Malone went close to regaining the lead for Australia, and with just four minutes to go Courtney Schonell was impeded and awarded a penalty stroke.
Claire Colwill stepped up but could not beat Sotgiu and the contest went to a shootout.
Both sides missed their first attempts before Malone and Lawton converted after Belgium also successfully scored from their second and third efforts.
Both sides squandered their next two attempts. Kaitlin Nobbs gave the visitors the edge when she converted before Bartram denied Justine Rasir to seal the bonus point.
The Hockeyroos will now return home to prepare for the best-of-three Oceania Cup against New Zealand in August, with the winner to automatically qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
