Ireland 0
Belgium 0
The Irish women’s hockey team began their bid to qualify for the Paris Olympics with a hard-fought scoreless draw against Belgium.
Belgium, ranked 4th in the world and silver medalists at last year’s European Championships, were favorites to play Ireland, ranked 13th, but best player Aisha McFerren was defeated by Lena Neal, Hannah McLaughlin, Roisin Upton and others. Supported by the stubborn Irish defense, they maintained a solid defense.
Ireland conceded nine penalty corners in the first half alone, but McFerren made several saves from them. After the break, Ireland had good possession but could do little. It wasn’t until the 40th minute that they forced their first penalty corner, with Belgian stand-in goalkeeper Herode Picard unfazed by Chloe Watkins’ shot and Beth Harper’s attempted rebound.
Belgium gave one player a green card in the 34th minute, while Ireland gave three players green cards at different stages of the second quarter.
There was some drama at the end. With six seconds remaining, Belgium claimed the ball hit Ireland’s leg inside the semicircle and asked for a video inquiry. Belgium were given a free out as the video call was inconclusive and they had to take the final whistle quickly, but Ireland were all the more grateful for it.
“Belgium dominated the game, especially in the first half, and were a great team,” Irish coach Sean Dancer said. “But in the third quarter we got a little better and created some chances. Ireland performed well in the second half.”
Ireland’s next game is a must-win match against Ukraine on Monday, followed by the final pool stage match against South Korea the following day. In the other match in the group, South Korea defeated Ukraine 3-0. The top two teams in their group qualify for the semi-finals, from which the top three teams, the winners of a playoff between the two finalists and the two teams defeated in the semi-finals, qualify for the Olympics.
Ireland: Aisha McFerren, Bethany Harper, Elena Neil, Hannah McLaughlin, Katie McKee, Sarah Hawkshaw, Charlotte Beggs, Katie Mullan (c), Deirdre Duke, Naomi Carroll Subwoofer used: Niamh Carey (3 minutes), Chloe Watkins (3 minutes), Sarah McCauley (4 minutes), Michelle Carey (7 minutes), Sarah Torrance (7 minutes), Roisin Upton (7 minutes)
Belgium: Aisling Dooguet, Justine Lachir, Alix Gernier, Judith Vandermeiren, Emma Pouvrez, Louise Versabel, Vanessa Brockmans, Michel Struijk, Hélène Brasseur, Stéphanie Vandenboer, Charlotte Engelbert. , Sub-player: Elodie Picard (GK) [31 mins], Ambre Ballengen (3 minutes), Barbara Nehlen, Camille Bellis (4 minutes), Liane Hillewaert (5 minutes). Abi Ray (5 minutes)