Scotland U18 Girls come out on top against Poland

Following on from a recent series win against their Welsh counterparts, Scotland U18 Women faced Poland in a three match tournament. Scotland had great success in their first game winning 2-0, however, both teams were equally determined to come out on top and carried an intense showdown throughout the rest of the weekend.

Game 2 – Scotland 1-1 Poland

After a nervy opening spell in the first encounter, Scotland started the second match much more positively.

After some promising attacks, the opening goal soon arrived when Emily Dark intercepted the ball by the touchline and fed Kirsten Cannon, who smashed the ball low into the far corner from the top of the circle.

Scotland continued to look dangerous throughout the first half and had the ball in the net again before half time, however it was pulled back for a penalty corner by the umpire, and the young Scots were unable to convert the resulting opportunity as the Polish keeper saved well from Olivia Bell’s drag flick.

Despite dominating proceedings again in the second half, Scotland failed to fashion many clear-cut scoring opportunities in the third quarter, snatching at those they did manage to create and lacking any real quality, At the other end, it took some brave defending and a smart save by keeper Rachel Strachan to keep out a close range reverse stick effort as the Poles gave notice of their threat, which the Scots had so far done well to limit to an occasional foray into their defensive half.

A momentary lapse of concentration defending a sideline ball allowed the Poles to force an equaliser, as the ball into the circle was deftly deflected past the despairing Strachan. Scotland continued to put pressure on the visitors, and from successive corners they first had a shot ran down and then a chance just scrambled wide, and in the end they were unable to find the winner.

“I thought we moved the ball well and controlled the game,” said head coach Keith Smith. “The girls worked extremely hard in order to establish that control from the first minute, but in the end it was a valuable lesson that at this level they also need to work smart. In the second half the anxiety in the crowd spread to the pitch and we ended up chasing an outcome rather than trusting our principles. The final game will be a great opportunity to practice handling those sorts of pressures.”

Photo by Mark Pugh

Game 3 – Scotland 8-1 Poland

Scotland put the frustration of the previous evening behind them convincingly, as they ran up an emphatic 8-1 victory in the final game of the series. Once again, it was the young Scots who were quickest out of the traps, and it took just 3 minutes for them to open their account when Georgia Jones beat two defenders on the halfway line and raced into the circle. After drawing the goalie, she was able to play in Rachel Bain who stroked the ball into the empty net.

A few minutes later, Emily Dark weaved her way into the D and calmly slotted a reverse edge shot past the keeper. The young Scots continued to make all the running, with Jones, Olivia Bell and Jenny Walls coming close to adding to the tally. Just before half time, Georgia Smith had the ball in the net from a penalty corner deflection, although the goal was disallowed after the initial shot was adjudged to have been too high.

Scotland had been pressing the Poles hard throughout the game and maintained that tempo in the third quarter where they were rewarded for the endeavours by 3 goals in 4 minutes. Erin Stevens deflected the ball high into the net after more good work by Jones, and seconds later Bain claimed her second following Eve Pearson’s midfield surge. The fifth came from a rebound at a penalty corner, with Bronwyn Shields able to force the ball over the line from close range in the resulting scramble.

Energised by that flurry of goals, the Scots continued to harass the Polish defence in the final quarter and added a sixth early the period as Lexi Sabatelli deflected home a well-worked corner routine. Soon after Sabatelli was sent sprawling by a combination of keeper and defender as she looked set to add another, and from the resulting penalty stroke Emily Dark made the scoreline 7-0. Ellie Wilson then rounded off the scoring for the home side, firing home from a penalty corner. The visitors weren’t done yet however, and with just seconds left, they scored a consolation with a powerful reverse stick finish.

“I was impressed by how well we coupled our workrate with some mature decision-making,” said head coach Keith Smith. “We made life very difficult for a good side with our intensity and willingness to win the ball back, and we posed a much more potent attacking threat throughout, which was a major improvement from the previous match. These games and the Wales series have been invaluable for the girls in gaining experience of different systems and styles of play, and how to adapt our game accordingly, and they can be pleased with how they’ve coped with the challenges of both.”

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