Hockey: Ireland - 1 USA - 2 On the day the Olympic flame was ignited in Athens, Ireland's hopes of competing on the biggest stage of all for the first time were extinguished in the blazing heat of Auckland in the cruellest fashion with a 2-1 extra-time defeat by the USA.

Four years ago, in Milton Keynes, it was the same, though the golden-goal winner then came from the Chinese. Dreams shattered. Déjà-vu.

Tracy Fuchs, a survivor from the 1994 World Cup at Belfield and a veteran of 262 caps, broke Irish hearts when, with just four minutes of extra time remaining, she drilled home a penalty corner, the ball taking a deflection before beating Angela Platt.

Earlier Eimear Cregan had equalised Kristen McCann's 37th-minute opener to force an additional 15 minutes' play.

At the final whistle the Irish fell to their knees en masse, some weeping openly. It was rough justice on Riet Kuper's young squad (with an average age of 24.1 years, the third-youngest of the 10 competing teams), who had defied their critics by beating Ukraine and drawing with Germany, who went on to seal their place in a fourth consecutive Olympics.

"Naturally I'm very disappointed. For some players the Olympic dream will never come. But for some of the younger ones there will be other opportunities," said Kuper.

"Whether it's a golden goal or penalty stokes, whichever side loses is always going to find it very, very hard to take. But I believe this Irish team is on the way up and . . . have done very well at this tournament."

Team captain Lynsey McVicker said better coaching structures were needed back home but added: "We have a lot to be positive about . . . we went into the tournament ranked 14th in the world and went out of it higher than that so that was encouraging."

IRELAND: A Platt; N Symmons, K Maybin, C O'Brien, F Connery, L Caulfield, B McKeever, J Burke, J McDonough, E Cregan, L McVicker (capt). Subs: N McCaughern, J Orbinson.