WOMEN'S HOCKEY:IRELAND'S FOUR nations campaign in Buenos Aries ended in a 4-2 penalty strokes defeat to India yesterday in their third place play-off, after a 1-1 draw, but it was a tournament that provided coach Gene Muller with a few positives, not least the team's performance in Saturday's 2-2 draw with hosts Argentina, the second-ranked team in the world.
Having beaten India in the first phase of the tournament, Cliodhna Sargent getting the only goal of the game on Thursday, Ireland took the lead through Michelle Harvey midway through the second half yesterday, India equalising five minutes later, before winning out on strokes.
It was the draw with Argentina, though, that most lifted Irish spirits, Muller’s team, remarkably, leading the reigning world champions 2-0 after 18 minutes through short corner goals from Shirley McCay and Sargent again.
The hosts, predictably, fought back, and levelled with four minutes to go, but Pamela Smithwick’s last-minute save from a penalty stroke denied them the victory.
Muller, meanwhile, has confirmed that Megan Frazer will return to the Central Preparation Programme in the new year after the Derry-born player completed a hugely successful season in college hockey in the United States.
As part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, the University of Maryland student was voted the top college hockey player in America in a national ballot.
Frazer, who played for Ballymoney before moving to the States where she is studying hearing and speech sciences, was co-captain of the team that won its second national title in a row.
Back home, just two Leinster Division One games were played on Saturday after the Trinity v Loreto fixture was postponed due to a frozen pitch.
Hermes moved up to third in the table with a 2-1 win over Old Alexandra, while Railway’s 6-0 defeat of Pembroke Wanderers kept them in second, two points behind UCD.
While they were not in league action over the weekend, the students knocked Loreto out of the Jacqui Potter Cup yesterday, with Nicola Gray and Deirdre Duke getting their goals in a 2-1 win.
Leinster League – Division One. Hermes 2 (K McComish, C McGilp), Old Alexandra 1 (E Beatty); Pembroke Wanderers 0, Railway Union 6 (E Smyth 2, J McDonnell, I Joyce, K Lloyd, S Dooley); Trinity v Loreto, postponed.
Jacqui Potter Cup – Second round – Loreto 1 (C McKean), UCD 2 (N Gray, D Duke); Corinthian 2 (H Peters, J Heggie), Glenanne 0; Railway Union 7 (J McDonnell 2, E Smyth, Z Delany, J O’Halloran, S Walsh, O Fox), North Kildare 0.
