UCD, Dublin
Ireland 5 (Magee x2, O’Donoghue, Duncan, Robson)
USA 1 (Kaeppler)
2 goals inside the opening 66 seconds stunned America and the crowd at UCD as the Green Machine asserted their dominance. A penalty corner in the 29thsecond appeared to be deflected in by Sean Murray though Shane O’Donoghue was formally awarded the goal. Seconds later and Eugene Magee had doubled the lead as he chipped Jonathan Klages from the right baseline. Matthew Nelson created the third with a powerful run down the left wing and a high reverse into the circle that Jeremy Duncan somehow got a stick to send it past Klages. It was 4-0 before half time, Magee again the scorer, this time with a powerful PC drag from Ireland’s third PC. USA got their goal on the cusp of half time with a well worked penalty corner of their own, Kei Kaeppler with the drag flick to take some of the sting out of the scoreline at the half.
The goals maybe have eased up in the second half but the Irish dominance of possession didn’t relent. Paul Gleghorne and Jonny Bell controlled play from the back with Shan O’Donoghue picking out passes at will. The majority of the time Fitzgerald was the only Irish man in his own half as the Americans were put under continuous pressure. Alan Sothern drew a superb high stick save from Jonathan Klages as he spun his marker and sent the ball aiming for the top corner. Michael Robson made it 5-1 as he went on a mazy run around the top of the circle to shoot on his reverse low into the corner. The Green Machine notched up a few more penalty corner chances but couldn’t quite add to their tally.
The two sides meet again tomorrow evening at 7pm in Pembroke Wanderers.
Starting: J Bell (Captain), S O’Connor, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, S Murray, J McKee, M Robson, D Fitzgerald, P Gleghorne, J Duncan, S Loughrey
Subs: J Carr, L Madeley, M Nelson, A Sothern, D Walsh