Sunday, July 13: Ireland’s U16 & 18 Pathway Teams began their respective summer tours with the U18 girls picking up a huge win over Lithuania in their first Pool match of the EuroHockey U18 Championship II, and the U16 Boys managing to hold the Netherlands to a 3-3 draw in the Rabo 8 Nations, in Houten.
A dream start in Glasgow for the Ireland U18 Girls saw them put nine past Lithuania in their first game of the EuroHockey U18 Championship II. A brace from Evie Girvan in the first half, with her first of the two goals coming after just three minutes, set Ireland well on their way. Ireland added another five to their tally in the third quarter to put the game well out of reach, with Isobel Field grabbing two, and Isla Allen, Captain Scarlett Taylor, and Darcy Shields also amongst the scorers. Evie Girvan completed her hattrick just five minutes into the final quarter before Eva Doyle putting the cherry on top with a goal in the last five minutes. The team will face Austria in their second pool game tomorrow, July 14 at 18:00 Irish Time.
Inn Alanya, Türkiye, Ireland U18 boys suffered a narrow defeat to Italy in their first game of the EuroHockey U18 Championship II. In tough conditions both sides went toe-to-toe in the first half, with Ireland having most of the possession but Italy doing well in defence and counter-attacking with real purpose. The game remained scoreless going into the final quarter, with a draw looking the likely outcome. Penalty corners for Ireland gave the U18 Boys a number of chances to grab the win. However, a late goal for Italy saw the points go their way. The U18 Boys will have a day to recover before they face hosts Türkiye at 17:00 Irish Time on Tuesday, July 15.
Over in Houten, the Netherlands, the U16 Girls and Boys both faced the hosts in their opening game of the Rabo 8 Nations. The U16 Girls were up first and, despite a very spirited performance, suffered a 5-0 defeat to the Dutch. The U16 Boys followed after and put in an exceptional display to secure a 3-3 draw. Ireland led by three goals to nil thanks to scorers Conor Fox, William Black and Finn Thompson. The Netherlands eventually fought their way back to 3-3 but some superb defensive play in the closing minutes saw Ireland hold on to secure a point from their first game.
Both U16 teams are back on the pitch tomorrow, July 14, for their second games of their pool stages, with the girls facing Spain at 12:30 Irish Time, while the Boys meet England at 16:30 Irish Time.