Ireland defeat Scotland in U18s

Ireland have won both matches in a women's under-18 series against Scotland.

Scotland lost the second game of the series 6-1, at Forthbank, Stirling on Sunday. Ireland took Saturday's opener 4-1.

Scotland head coach Colin Clarke described the second loss as a harsh lesson on counter-attacking direct hockey.  A combination of lapses in defence and some smart finishing allowed the Irish to go into the interval four goals in front.

Although the Scots started the second half with increased vigour and the Irish keeper had to look lively on occasions, it was the Irish who increased their lead to six.  Scotland eventually got a consolation with a goal from Sarah Robertson with an excellent strike into the bottom corner.

“The result was disappointing, however we are on the first step towards our preparation for the European Championships in July. The girls performed well in certain arias and we learnt a lot about individual players and certain combinations. Ireland have set the performance level which we will need to reach over the coming months,” said Clarke.

After the games against Ireland the U18 girls management team selected a 22 player training squad for this summer's European Championships: