China clinched gold in the women's hockey 5s tournament by defeating the Netherlands 3-2 in a shootout after the teams were locked 5-5 at full time at the Youth Olympic Games on Tuesday.

The Netherlands had only conceded two goals at Nanjing 2014 before the final and came into the gold-medal match as firm favorites, but China were buoyed by a home crowd and began with an aggressive brand of hockey that caught the Dutch side unawares.

"It's a joint effort. I tried to keep out as many goals as possible," said Chinese goalkeeper Liu Kailin.

China's coach, Guo Xudong, was all smiles after the win.

"I'm proud of the team. We never lost faith when we are trailing, as you never know what can happen at the last moment," said Guo.

Netherland's captain Van Erk said that her side was aware of China's strengths before the match began but her side had been shellshocked early.