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Irish eyes quickly turn to Germany after tough World Cup defeat to Chile

Women’s Hockey World Cup – Pool A

Ireland 0 Chile 1 (D Krimerman Losada)

Ireland will have to produce one of their biggest wins yet on Wednesday if they are to continue their World Cup journey following a 1-0 defeat to debutantes Chile at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen.

 

It means they need to win against world number five side Germany on Wednesday (3.30pm, Irish time) and then hope goal difference works in their favour later when Chile meet the Netherlands.

 

It was a day in which Ireland could not get the best out of their penalty corner attack as 10 set pieces went unconverted while the South American side whipped home the winner with 12 minutes to go via Denise Krimerman Losada.

 

Coach Sean Dancer was left to lament 10 penalty corner chances as the crucial goal would not fall their way.

 

“Really disappointed,” he said afterwards. “We dominated the first half and couldn’t score; Chile had the best of the second half, particularly the third quarter so tough to concede and lose 1-0.

 

“Chile ran pretty good lines at the penalty corners and took away some of the things we wanted to do. We have to give them credit for closing it down. They did a good job.”

 

Hannah McLoughlin concurred, adding: “It is definitely a game we targeted for three points and obviously haven’t got them. We have a 24-hour turnaround to our game against Germany so we need to park this one quickly, learn from it and get ready for tomorrow as quick as possible.”

 

The first three quarters were scoreless with Ireland unable to make full use of six corners while Chile were indisciplined, spending a third of the first half short-handed due to cards.

 

Sarah Torrans deflected a first minute chance into the bottom corner but Katie Mullan’s cross from the left was deemed to have hit her back-stick.

 

Mullan then had a backhand shot test Claudia Schuler before the South American side endured their first sin-binnings with less than 10 minutes gone as passions threatened to boil over.

 

The first quarter break allowed things settle and Chile did pick off a few strong counters with Domenica Ananias’ cross almost turned in by a diving Paula Valdivia.

 

But Hannah McLoughlin went closest to breaking the deadlock before the first half when she turned on her reverse-side and clipped a shot that nicked the outside of the left post.

 

With so much at stake, the third quarter became scrappier and increasingly tense with the play more and more fractious. Chile had two corners fall their way but Ayeisha McFerran and her defensive numbers closed the angles while Francisca Tala’s mid-circle shot on the turn was just wide.

 

But the game turned with 12 minutes to go when Chile picked off yet another set piece and this time, Denise Krimerman Losada slapped hard and true down the left channel to hit the backboard.

 

The Green Army responded immediately, winning three more corners to no avail while Zara Malseed had a trio of shots on goal, all defended by desperate defensive sticks.

 

Life got harder still when Lena Tice was shown a yellow card for a foul on halfway and Róisín Upton took a blow to the head and, in the staccato finish, Chile held on.

 

It means the focus turns quickly to their game with Germany on Wednesday: “We do need to let it sink in for a while, take some lessons, look back on the video but two matches in 24 hours is pretty quick. There has to come a point where we do park this one mentally and put all our focus on Germany.”

 

“We have a moment of disappointment and then we have to look at tomorrow,” Sarah Hawkshaw added. “We have to switch our mind to recovery and we have a huge opportunity against the Germans who we always give a good game.

 

“It is a huge [all-or-nothing] opportunity for us to put something away against them and I really believe we can.”

 

Ireland: A McFerran, M Carey, R Upton, S Hawkshaw, K Mullan, H McLoughlin, S Torrans, L Tice, C Perdue, D Duke, E Curran

Subs: S McAuley, Z Malseed, N Carroll, C Beggs, K McKee, C Hamill, L Murphy

 

Chile: C Shuler, D Ananias, F Villagran, D Krimerman F Flores, M Urroz, C Caram, F Tala, A Solano, M Maldonado, J Khamis

Subs: S Filipek, J Salas, C Palma, F Parra, P Valdivia, F Arrieta, N Salvador

 

Umpires: W Venter (RSA), I Makar (CRO)

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Ireland’s women face a hugely important date with Chile

Ireland’s women return to action in the women’s World Cup as they look to get their first win of the campaign against Chile (world ranked 17) and boost their chances of reaching the knock-out stages.

It is a big contrast from the opening tie of the competition against the world number one Netherlands, facing a south American outfit who are the lowest ranked nation in the competition, playing in their first World Cup.

As such, they offer a very different challenge but one that is vastly experienced and ready to make the most of this unique chance on the elite stage.

Chile pushed Germany hard in their first group match, Denise Krimerman’s thunderbolt corner goal keeping them in contention at half-time before the European side pulled away in the last 16 minutes.

With the Netherlands beating Germany 3-1 on Sunday evening, it means that both Ireland and Chile need a victory to stay in the hunt in the group with second and third place going through to a playoff game.

In terms of a head-to-head, Ireland have won six of their nine meetings with two draws but Chile’s only win coming during a shared series in Santiago in 2019.

The vast majority of their panel is still in situ but just six Irish players from their most recent battle are still around, showing the diverse paths in the intervening three years.

“They are where we were four years ago at a first major tournament,” Róisín Upton said. “They will take a lot from their opening game against Germany as well, do their homework on us.

“There isn’t too much footage out there on them so we will see what we can work out from them and then focus on ourselves and the little things we can learn from.”

Deirdre Duke added: “We have been thinking about this Chile game for quite a while but I think it’s important we got out and play our own game and don’t build it up too much. They are a good side but it is about us tomorrow and doing our basics right.”

The crowd presence will also be a fraction of Saturday with no Dutch match on the agenda on the day and the 2pm start time ruling out a sea of schoolkids amping up the decibel level.

The hope is the travelling support have not been inconvenienced by flight cancellations to Schiphol to make their presence felt.

Women’s Hockey World Cup
Tuesday, July 5th: Ireland v Chile, Wagener Stadium, 1pm (Irish time)
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Senior Men defeat Scotland to win the 4-Nations in Uddingston

Four Nations Invitational tournament

Ireland 5 (L Madeley 3, C Robson, T Cross) Scotland 3 (C Golden, J Golden, A Forsyth)

A Luke Madeley hat trick saw Ireland’s men win the Four Nations Invitational tournament in Uddingston as they beat hosts Scotland in the final 5-3.

Callum Robson opened the scoring when he picked out the top corner 12 minutes into the contest but the hosts bounced back to lead 2-1 with brothers Cameron and Jamie Golden both netting.

Tim Cross, however, levelled it at 2-2 at half-time and Ireland took control in the third quarter with Madeley firing carbon copy corner goals.

Alan Forsyth hit back with 11 minutes to go but the Green Machine finished off strong with Madeley completing his hat trick.

It is their second series win of the summer thus far as they continue to build to August’s target event, the EuroHockey qualifiers in Calais.

Prior to that, Mark Tumilty’s side will face Austria and Chile at the National Sports Campus in four weeks time.

 

Ireland: J Carr, L Madeley, T Cross, J McKee, D Walsh, K O’Dea, K Marshall, S Murray, B walker, S Hyland, N Page

Subs: L Witherow, C Robson, N Glassey, J Duncan, M Robson, B Johnson, M Ingram

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Mullan, Dancer and Perdue reflect on World Cup opening night against Netherlands

Women’s World Cup

Ireland 1 (R Upton) Netherlands 5 (F Matla 2, Y Jansen, S Plonissen, M Verschoor)

Ireland’s new look side put in a fearless performance but ultimately came unstuck against the Netherlands at a rocking Wagener Stadium, putting it up to the reigning World Cup, Olympic and European champions.

 

In the end, the Dutch ran out healthy winners with their set piece work – two corner goals, two from strokes – proving pivotal.

 

But Ireland were right in the contest in the third quarter when Róisín Upton’s long drag found the net. It was their first goal in their last eight meetings with the Oranje, dating back to 2005, cutting the gap to 2-1 for a spell.

 

“The scoreline doesn’t necessarily tell the tale of the game,” said captain Katie Mullan afterwards.

 

“We had them at 2-1 and were under their skin. We dominated in patches and I am extremely proud of the defensive effort out there and there are so many positives for us to take from it into the next one.

 

“There’s obviously moments we didn’t win but there were moments we did win and those are the ones to go away and learn from.

 

“Right now, it’s back to the drawing board but I am extremely proud of the girls. We have four debuts today and what a spectacle to do it in. they should be so proud of their performances. They were fantastic and played as if they had far more than zero!”

AMSTERDAM 2022 Women’s World Cup Spain & Netherlands
05 Netherlands v Ireland (Pool A)
Picture: Katie Mullan
WORLDSPORTPICS COPYRIGHT FRANK UIJLENBROEK

 

Indeed, coach Sean Dancer can take plenty of heart from a tie which saw Caoimhe Perdue, Charlotte Beggs, Katie McKee and Christina Hamill all make their international debuts in an orange cauldron.

 

“It’s really special for the four girls to get their first cap against the Olympic and world champions. What an opportunity; I was really proud of them. They stood up and showed they can handle themselves on the big stage.

 

“It’s great when you can see young kids come in and make an impact from the start against world class players. I am really excited about the future ahead for them.”

 

As for Perdue, the Tipp woman was able to reflect on a special moment despite the scoreline: “It was incredible. A packed stadium like that, I have never experienced anything like it before and the atmosphere was electric.

 

“They are an amazing team and that is the standard we want to be at. Playing the best, we worked hard on our defence and we want to build on that for our next performances.

 

“The music was pretty loud in the stadium! It is really difficult and you have to be switched on the whole time. We are yelling at each other; it is hard to hear but we are getting those messages across!”

 

In the early phases, the world number one side – buoyed by a full house, buzzing on happy hardcore pre-match music – set their stall out early with Felice Albers and Lidewij Welten going close.

 

They were denied by the outstanding work of Ayeisha McFerran who made numerous full length saves while she was back up by Sarah Torrans’ brave running down the barrel at corner time. Sarah McAuley coolly cleared a number of dangerous moments while, at the far end, Torrans fired into the side-netting from Ireland’s best moment.

 

As such, the Netherlands were unable to make any of their seven first half corners count due to the compact lines being run. They did, however, eke out a stroke from an intricate move with Yibbi Jansen slipping the ball under her arm to Maria Verschoor who was upended.

 

Frédérique Matla stepped up and while her shot was not the cleanest, it found the left corner. It remained that way through to the second half when the Dutch stepped up the pressure.

 

Yibbi Jansen doubled the lead in the 35th minute from a ripping drag-flick down the glove-side before Ireland got right back into the contest. Michelle Carey’s driving runs were a feature throughout and she won the set piece from which Upton added another to her international scrapbook.

 

But just as they sniffed an upset, the Dutch broke again and won a corner which Sabine Plonissen swept home from the top of the D.

 

Matla converted another stroke with seconds to go in the third quarter after Albers was felled for 4-1. And the victory was completed when Verschoor unleashed a perfect backhand shot to the bottom left corner seconds into the final quarter.

 

Ireland now have two rest days before their vital Tuesday meeting against Chile. The South American side lost 4-1 to Germany.

 

Ireland: A McFerran, R Upton, H McLoughlin, E Curran, L Tice, C Perdue, M Carey, S Hawkshaw, K Mullan, S Torrans, D Duke

Subs: S McAuley, Z Malseed, N Carroll, C Beggs, K McKee, C Hamill, L Murphy

 

Netherlands: A Veenendaal, S Koolen, L Leurink, X de Waard, F Albers, L Welten, F Matla, P Sanders, L Nunnink, M van Geffen, R van Laarhoven

Subs: F Moes, M Keetels, M Verschoor, E de Goede, S Plonissen, Y Jansen, J Koning

 

Umpires: H Y Kang (KOR), M Giddens (USA)

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FIH Women’s World Cup – Where To Watch.

Hockey Ireland is delighted to confirm the broadcast schedule for the women’s World Cup which begins on Saturday evening in Amsterdam.

 

On Thursday evening, RTE have announced they will carry the Green Army’s games against Chile and Germany while all games are available via BT Sport and Now TV.

 

Saturday, July 2nd – Ireland vs Netherlands (6.30pm, Irish time)

  • BT Sport ESPN – live match coverage

  • Now TV – live match coverage (via Sports Extra subscription)

 

Tuesday, July 5th – Ireland vs Chile (1pm, Irish time)

  • RTE News Now – live match coverage

  • BT Sport 1 (HD) – live match coverage

  • Now TV – live match coverage (via Sports Extra subscription)

 

Wednesday, July 6th – Ireland v Germany (3.30pm, Irish time)

  • RTE News Now – live match coverage

  • BT Sport 1 (HD) – live match coverage

  • Now TV – live match coverage (via Sports Extra subscription)

 

Further broadcast details will be posted once Ireland’s playoffs and crossover fixtures are confirmed.

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IRELAND U18 GIRLS – Squad Selection, Scotland

U18 Squad travels to Scotland this weekend.

“We are looking forward to travelling to Scotland for the next phase of development for this squad. The time and energy that the players have committed to the program is commendable and we are excited to continue to challenge ourselves in these 3 games as we build towards our 8-Nations tournament in Spain. ” Coach David McGivern says.

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Under 18 Boys Selection – 8 Nations & Scotland Series

The U18s travel to Jordanstown this Friday for a 3 match series against Scotland U18.

This is their penultimate match series before they travel to Germany next week for the much anticipated 8 Nations. 

Hockey Ireland Under 18 Boys – Scotland Series Squad – Jordanstown July 1st to 3rd 2022
Player
 Province Club School
Alex Lynch
 Leinster Three Rock Rovers The High School
Allen Lyons Ulster Annadale Hockey Club Royal Belfast Academical Institution
Ben Pasley Leinster Three Rock Rovers HC The High School
Ben Pollock Ulster Banbridge Hockey Club Banbridge Academy
Cian Dorgan Munster Cork C of I HC Ashton
Conor Matthews Ulster Annadale Hockey Club Sullivan Upper
Harry Dagg Leinster Avoca Temple Carrig
James Evans Ulster Banbridge Hockey Club Banbridge Academy
Josh Gill Leinster Three Rock Rovers Wesley College
Mackenzie Connor Ulster Lisnagarvey Hockey Club Friends’ School Lisburn
Mark Cuddy Ulster Cookstown Hockey Club Cookstown High School
Matthew McKee Ulster Banbridge Hockey Club Banbridge Academy
Matthew Stevenson Ulster Banbridge Hockey Club Banbridge Academy
Patrick McElhinney Ulster Annadale Hockey Club Methodist College Belfast
Rhys Armah-Kwantreng Leinster Monkstown HC St Andrew’s College
Sam Chapman (GK) Leinster YMCA Wesley College
Sam Dale Munster Cork Harlequins HC Bandon Grammar
Scott Hosick (GK) Ulster Lisnagarvey Hockey Club Friends’ School Lisburn
Tiarnan Gaffney Munster Catholic Institute HC Villiers School
Tommy Dobson Ulster Banbridge Hockey Club Banbridge Academy

No cost at the gate over the weekend.

Hockey Ireland Under 18 Boys – 8 Nations Squad – Germany July 11th to 17th 2022
Player
 Province Club School
Allen Lyons Ulster Annadale Hockey Club Royal Belfast Academical Institution
Ben Pasley Leinster Three Rock Rovers HC The High School
Ben Pollock Ulster Banbridge Hockey Club Banbridge Academy
Cian Dorgan Munster Cork C of I HC Ashton
Conor Matthews Ulster Annadale Hockey Club Sullivan Upper
Conor Murphy (GK) Leinster Avoca Hockey Club Newpark
James Evans Ulster Banbridge Hockey Club Banbridge Academy
Josh Gill Leinster Three Rock Rovers Wesley College
Mackenzie Connor Ulster Lisnagarvey Hockey Club Friends’ School Lisburn
Mark Cuddy Ulster Cookstown Hockey Club Cookstown High School
Matthew McKee Ulster Banbridge Hockey Club Banbridge Academy
Matthew Stevenson Ulster Banbridge Hockey Club Banbridge Academy
Patrick McElhinney Ulster Annadale Hockey Club Methodist College Belfast
Rhys Armah-Kwantreng Leinster Monkstown HC St Andrew’s College
Sam Dale Munster Cork Harlequins HC Bandon Grammar
Scott Hosick (GK) Ulster Lisnagarvey Hockey Club Friends’ School Lisburn
Tiarnan Gaffney Munster Catholic Institute HC Villiers School
Tommy Dobson Ulster Banbridge Hockey Club Banbridge Academy
Non-Travelling Reserves:
Alex Lynch
 Leinster Three Rock Rovers The High School
Harry Dagg Leinster Avoca Temple Carrig
Sam Chapman (GK) Leinster YMCA Wesley College
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Senior Men kick off 4 Nations in Scotland.

The senior men’s team get started today with a 4-Nations tournament at the Uddingston Cricket and Sports Club Scotland.

They will take to the pitch on Wednesday 29 June – Sunday 3 July to take on Scotland; Wales; and the USA in the capped and competitive tournament.

The full list of games is below:

Schedule

Wednesday 29 June

17:00 | Ireland v Wales

19:00 | Scotland v USA

 

Thursday 30 June

17:00 | Ireland v USA

19:00 | Scotland v Wales

 

Saturday 2 July

13:00 | Wales v USA

15:00 | Scotland v Ireland

 

Sunday 3 July

11:00 | 3rd v 4th

13:00 | 1st v 2nd

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EuroHockey ID Championship – Team announcement

Hockey Ireland is delighted to announce the names of the squad members going to play in the EuroHockey ID (Intellectual Disabilities) Championship in Pinoke Hockey Club, The Netherlands from 6th / 9th July 2022. With the finals being played in the Mecca for hockey, the Wagner stadium!

This is the 3rd edition of the EuroHockey ID Championships that Ireland will participate in. The First once was in 2017 when TRRHC sent a club side and since then the growth of Hockey ID has meant that in 2019 club representatives from Monkstown and TRRHC travelled. There was no event in 2021 due to COVID, but this year it’s a true testament to the work from the clubs that we now have a team with representatives from 5 clubs, Three Rock Rovers, Monkstown, Wicklow, Railway Union and Botanic.

“We are thrilled to send a strong squad to The Netherlands with many players getting their first cap for Ireland. This has given a fantastic lift to the whole Hockey ID community and we know that the whole team will do us proud” said Rachel Kelly, Team Manager, Irish Hockey ID Team.

For more information or requests for player interviews please contact: Rachel at: +353 85 777 7643

All athletes had to be over 16 and the team is mixed gender.

Follow @eurohockeyorg on Instagram and Twitter for updates of the event.

Team Ireland

Players (10)

Cameron Ward, Botanic
Charlie O Reilly, Monkstown
Joe Whelan, Three Rock Rovers
Louis Mitchell, Monkstown
Louis Olden, Monkstown
Mark Sullivan, Monkstown
Matthew Burke, Three Rock Rovers
Niamh Kiernan, Railway
Sofia Finnegan, Botanic Hockey
Tony Ryan, Wicklow Hockey

 

Coaching and Management Team (4)

Ann Murray, Botanic
Klaas Jan de Vries, Wicklow
Rachel Kelly, Monkstown
Scott Mulligan, Three Rock Rovers

 

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Curran riding crest of wave ahead of World Cup

As weeks go, Ellen Curran says there have been few better for her. Just a few hours after her inclusion in the Irish World Cup side, college results landed – a first class honours in her masters of Biomedical Engineering.

 

“Pretty much the same day – it’s been a really good week for me!” she said during the SoftCo Series against Japan, admitting the journey has not been plain sailing.

 

She earned her call-up to the Green Army in November 2016 as a teenager but found it tricky to settle in the panel. For both the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Olympic qualifiers, she was in the shake-up for selection until late in the day but missed out.

Again, at the start of 2020, she was an ever-present in the Olympic preparation camp in South Africa before Covid fell.

“It was a really difficult period. During Covid, I picked up a niggle and it impacted my performance and I did have a lull for about a year. I wasn’t really in contention for the Tokyo squad.

 

“Post-Tokyo, I was gunning for that spot at the qualifiers, made it for that tournament and subsequently took a break from the setup. I just put my mental health and it worked.

 

“I went back to my club Pembroke – becoming EY Champions and ISC finalists – and was back to finally enjoying it. I got the opportunity to come back into the setup and am now playing the best hockey I ever have.

 

“For me, personally, it’s been the most comfortable I have been in the setup. For a long time, I probably struggled with confidence within the group but I think I am really coming into it now. Maybe it just took from going from midfield into right back which is new for me but a great experience.”

 

As for the SoftCo Series, Curran has been heartened by the performances from the young Irish side against the world number 10 side who recently won the Asia Cup.

 

“We do want to win games for confidence but where we really want to win games is at the World Cup and that is the target. With this new group, we have made such progress from being in Japan to this series. The vibe is really positive, everyone is playing well and we are starting to gel at a nice time.

 

“I was surprised at the numbers of fans who have been here, given Wednesday was a 5pm start on a Wednesday! It’s brilliant to see so many people out and taking an interest before we head to the World Cup and hopefully we will see many of them over in Amsterdam.”

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