Scotland U18 girls beat Russia in second match of Euros

Scotland U18 Girls made it two wins from two at U18 Girls’ EuroHockey Championship II with a 3-1 win over Russia.

The Scots have started this tournament exceptionally, with a 4-0 win over Wales on Sunday before the 3-1 win today.

From the get go, the game was played at a quick pace and the determination was clear across the whole team that they were wanting to leave with another win.

This was seen in the opening quarter with a penalty corner, Emily Dark stepping up and striking home right from the top of the D. Scotland’s lead came early, setting a high morale for the rest of the quarter.

The second quarter with very even with both teams consistently moving the ball, back and forth as well as having a few opportunities on goal. Scotland went into half-time with 1-0 on the scoreboard which was a promising lead for match.

The second half came with lots of action with both teams determined to score a goal. Russia, this half, were a lot more attacking, however, Scotland’s defence was quick and strong.

Scotland managed to break to the goal, gaining a penalty corner with Emily Dark scoring again with a straight strike into the goal. Scotland were now at a 2-0 lead and were looking comfortable.

With 10 minutes to go in the game, Lexi Sabatelli scored a fantastic field goal, with a slight lifted ball straight into the net. With three goals in the bag for Scotland, there was little chance Russia would be able to fight back. However, with 20 seconds to spare on the clock, Russia struck their first goal of the game when they gained a penalty stroke, Anna Golubeva stepped up to strike right into the left corner of the goal with power.

Keith Smith, Scotland U18 Girls Head Coach, said: “The game was tough, the Russians pressed hard. The game was fast and aggressive, however the girls coped very well under these circumstances and made life difficult for them. The positives taken would be the strong defence performance, they did everything to keep it out the D and did this very well, at points willing to put their body on the line. The game also had a fantastic finish and the team managed all in all very well.”

“We have a recovery day, so everyone will be resting but we will look at the previous two games and see what we can learn from these, and look at the opponents but we really aim to get the energy back in the legs!”

The game ended on a 3-1 win for Scotland, putting them in a strong position for Wednesday’s match against Lithuania. This will be streamed and passback is 12:30pm (UK time).

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