FIH Pro League: Ireland 1 Belgium 2
Ireland’s FIH Pro League debut ended in defeat at Abbotstown on Wednesday, but they put up a gutsy show against Belgium, ranked third in the world, losing by just a 2-1 margin in the end.
The Belgians were on top for the bulk of the game, taking the lead in the second quarter when Ambre Ballenghien fired past Liz Murphy after being picked out in the circle by Michelle Struijk. And Ballenghien doubled that advantage just after half-time when she dived to deflect the ball in to the roof of the Irish net.
Ireland rallied well, Mia Jennings denied a goal on her debut when the Belgian goalkeeper make a smart save, Róisín Upton and Charlotte Beggs coming close too. They eventually scored what proved to be a consolation goal in the last minute of the game, Ellen Curran deflecting home Hannah McLoughlin’s strike from a penalty corner.
England, who were beaten 3-1 by Belgium in their opening game on Tuesday, are up next for Ireland. The sides meet at 2pm on Thursday afternoon.
