Scotland fall short in final Pool match against England

Photo: EHF/Frank Uijlenbroek

Scotland lost their final Pool match of RABO EuroHockey Championship 2017 in Amsterdam in a 2-0 defeat to England. It was a great defensive performance by the Scots, but the result puts them into Pool C where they will battle against relegation.

The game got off to a roaring start and it was the English who came close first, prompting a great double save from Amy Gibson from an early England penalty corner.

It was a bright start from the Scots however as they probed the English defence for vulnerabilities. The game was played at great tempo but good disciplined defending kept the scores level at the end of the first quarter.

Scotland looked dangerous when a surging run by Millie Brown through the England half was eventually shut down at the top of the English D.

Towards the end of the first half Gibson was called into action to keep the score level. First she made a brilliant save when England broke into the D from left, and a deflection was well stopped by the keeper.

Then came another excellent save by Gibson from the penalty corner, she leapt low to her right to block the effort.

England took the lead in the third quarter through a goal awarded to Jo Hunter. A ball was thundered into the Scots D and a deflection saw the ball zip into the roof of the Scotland net to make it 1-0.

It was nearly 2-0 when Sophie Bray timed her run to perfection but sent her shot to the wrong side of Gibson’s post.

Gibson then dived to her right to save a penalty corner by Laura Unsworth, before another phenomenal double save as England went for the jugular.

Alex Danson should have made it 2-0 when she was sent running through on goal but smashed it just wide of the left post.

A good opening to the final quarter for Scotland saw Katie Robertson prompt a good double save from Maddie Hinch. A quick break down the right saw Robertson shoot for goal twice from an angle but the England keeper was equal to it.

With under two minutes remaining of the match England made it 2-0 from a penalty corner. Giselle Ansley found the backboard between the goalkeeper and the player on the post.

Scotland went to a kicking back in the final stages but England was strong enough to retain a clean sheet and take the points. Scotland now enter Pool C, a pool of four teams where the bottom two will be relegated to EuroHockey Championship II.

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