EuroHockey Championships: Ireland 2 Scotland 3
It was another tale of woe for Ireland at the EuroHockey Championships in Mönchengladbach on Friday when they twice gave up a lead against Scotland to lose 3-2 in their fifth to eighth place classification pool.
Róisín Upton had ended Ireland’s three-and-a-half-hour goal drought at the tournament when she converted a third quarter penalty stroke after Eve Pearson had stick-tackled Katie Mullan as she shaped up for a strike on goal.
They held on to that lead until a madcap five-minute spell in the final quarter. First, Caoimhe Perdue conceded a stroke when she went in high with her elbow on Heather McEwan, Charlotte Watson equalising from the spot. Katie Mullan restored Ireland’s lead two minutes later, though, when she was brilliantly picked out in the circle by Upton, Mullan firing low to Jess Buchanan’s right.
But it went pear-shaped for Gareth Grundie’s side in the space of two minutes when, first, Amy Costello buried a penalty corner before McEwan made it 3-2. What proved to be the winner was an unfortunate one for Ireland, Ellie Mackenzie’s long-range shot hitting the post, rebounding off Lizzie Murphy’s back to leave McEwan with a simple tap-in.
RM Block
On the whole, it was a deserved win for the Scots, ranked two places below Ireland, after they had the better of the bulk of the game. They forced seven penalty corners to Ireland’s none, once again Murphy proving to be a more than able deputy for the injured Ayeisha McFerran, making fine saves from Sarah Robertson, Caterina Nelli and Ruth Blaikie.
Ireland finish up their tournament against England on Sunday and are in danger of finishing in the bottom two for the first time since 2013.
Ireland: E Murphy, E Curran, H McLoughlin, S McAuley, C Perdue, K McKee, S Hawkshaw (capt), C Hamill, N Carey, K Mullan, S Torrans. Rolling subs: M Carey, R Upton, C Beggs, K Larmour, M Power, E Kealy, H Micklem.
