Share of the spoils as Scotland draw series against Spain

Scotland Senior Women’s preparations for the forthcoming EuroHockey Nations Championship continued with a 1-1 series draw against Spain in Madrid this week.

A 1-1 draw in the opening match on Tuesday was followed by a 3-1 win yesterday and a 5-3 reversal in today’s final match.

Summarising the Spainish tests, Scotland Senior Women Head Coach Gordon Shepherd said,

“The series has gone very well. Our focus was on games one and two as it mirrors the schedule in the Europeans; game, rest, game. So today we experimented a little and learnt from it. The loss was a good reality check for the players and that we don’t get carried away.

“The mood in the camp is excellent.”

In temperatures well into the mid-30s, Kaz Marshall’s penalty corner strike was Scotland’s equalising goal in the first match of the series after the Spaniards had broken the deadlock earlier in the contest, much against the run of play.

Vikki Bunce scored within twenty seconds of the second match, with additional goals from Becky Merchant and Nikki Kidd sealing an excellent win for the Scots.

However, the hosts responded today with a series-levelling 5-3 win in the final match. Despite a Nikki Kidd first half hat-trick, two Spanish goals without reply in the second period ensured a share of the overall spoils.

The next stop for Shepherd’s side is London. The opening game of the EuroHockey Nations Championship will be in front of a full-capacity crowd against hosts England on Saturday 21 August.

Please visit the EuroHockey 2015 website for full information.

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