Scotland men win against Poland in Walcz
Scotland men beat Poland 2-1 in Walcz with goals by Callum McKenzie and Kyle White giving the Scots the win. It was a match that saw three new caps for Scotland with Andrew McConnell; Andy Bull; and Sam Lloyd all performing well on their debut.
It was a close and competitive contest from the outset with both teams playing quick and expressive hockey. Rob Harwood came close for Scotland in the first quarter when he flashed a shot across goal and just wide.
It was Scotland who took the lead when Callum MacKenzie converted, providing the finish to a good move as half time approached.
Poland had opportunities from penalty corners in the second half and from one of these opportunities Mikolaj Gumny found the back of the net to level the scores.
The Blue Sticks issued an immediate response and quickly went 2-1 ahead. Robbie Shepherdson broke into the Polish D and shot at goal; the ball rebounded off the goalkeeper and Kyle White was first to pounce and score for Scotland.
A short time later Andrew McConnell nearly bagged a debut goal when he broke through on goal but was denied by good goalkeeping.
Scotland Head Coach Derek Forsyth said, “We played really well especially after a long journey and against a team further on in their preparations. It was a good team performance and I was pleased to see the three new players make good debuts for Scotland. The performance is a good start to our preparations for the Hockey Series Finals next month.”
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