Ireland 3-1 South Korea
In the women’s qualifying tournament held in Valencia, Ireland defeated South Korea 3-1 in a hard-fought battle to advance to the semi-finals and maintain their hopes of making it to their second consecutive Olympics.
To qualify for this summer’s Paris 2024 Games, the Greens will need to reach the final or come in third place in a mini-tournament in Spain. This victory ensured they were one step closer to achieving their goal.
They will face Pool B winners Spain on Thursday at 3.30pm (2.30pm Irish time) for a place in the final, while Belgium and Great Britain will face off in the other last-four match.
Ireland went into their match against South Korea, second in Pool A, knowing that even with a draw they would still be able to advance to the semi-finals against pool leaders Belgium.
The first half was close and ended scoreless, but Sean Dancer’s team found a breakthrough early in the third quarter with a goal from Sarah Hawkshaw.
She won her first penalty corner which was converted by Hannah McLoughlin and Hawkshaw added the final touch to make it 1-0.
The Irish then overcame Korean pressure and Deirdre Duke extended the lead to two points just before the end of the third quarter.
However, Ireland’s opponents pulled a goal back in the final quarter with a goal from Cho Hye-jin, setting up a tense finish.
However, those concerns were allayed when Hawkshaw won a penalty, which Roisin Upton converted to restore the two-goal advantage.
Ireland: Aisha McFerran, Roisin Upton, Hannah McLaughlin, Ellen Curran, Beth Harper, Katie McKee, Sarah Hawkshaw, Katie Mullan (Captain), Charlotte Beggs, Naomi Carroll, Niamh Carey.
Subs used: Sarah McCauley (5 minutes), Michelle Carey (6 minutes), Sarah Torrance (6 minutes), Elena Neal (5 minutes), Chloe Watkins (6 minutes), Deirdre Duke (5 minutes).
South Korea: Kim Eun-ji (GK), Seo Joon-geun, Ahn Hyun-joo, Jung Eun-bi (captain), Cho Hye-jin, Kim Min-jung, Cho Eun-ji, Lee Yu-ri, Park Soon-ae, Seo Soo-young, Ahn Soo-jin.
Subs used: Lee Joo-young (6 minutes), Lee Yoo-jin (3 minutes), Kwon So-young (9 minutes), Jina Kang (7 minutes), Kim Eun-ji (4 minutes), Kim Jeong-in (3 minutes).