USA shuts out Argentina in field hockey

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LONDON, July 31 (UPI) -- A lone goal late in the first half by Shannon Taylor Tuesday gave the U.S. women's field hockey team a 1-0 decision over Argentina in the Olympic tournament.

That outcome evened the Americans' record at 1-1 in Group B and greatly enhanced their chances of reaching the quarterfinals.

The United States shut out a team that had scored seven goals in its Olympic opener over South Africa on Sunday.

Through two out of the five games that will be contested in group play, the only unbeaten team in Group B is New Zealand, which put together a 4-1 win over South Africa on Tuesday.

The Americans are tied for second with Argentina, Australia and Germany. Team USA will play Australia on Thursday.

In Group A, both Britain and the Netherlands made it through the first two games without a loss. Britain defeated South Korea 5-3 on Tuesday and the Netherlands downed Japan 3-2.

The other Group B game saw China and Belgium play to a scoreless tie.