Grace Balsdon, Tessa Howard and Hannah Martin all scored to help earn three crucial points in Mönchengladbach ahead of their meeting with the hosts on Sunday (4.30pm).
Although Ireland made a dominant start to the match, with dangerous runs into the attacking circle, England broke the deadlock through a Balsdon penalty stroke in the eighth minute.
The Irish continued with their high press, making a few attacking forays, but England’s defence kept them at bay to end the first quarter with a 1-0 lead.
Having shrugged off early jitters, England looked more dangerous in the second quarter and they went on to double the lead through Howard’s field goal in the 21st minute as she slotted home with a subtle deflection in front of the goal, wrong-footing the Irish goalkeeper.
England maintained their momentum and earned their first penalty corner, but missed out on converting as Lily Owsley’s deflection from close range missed the target.
And they started the third quarter on the front foot, winning three penalty corners inside the first two minutes but missing out on converting them.
It was a similar start to the final quarter, with England dominating ball possession and looking to extend their lead.
And they made it 3-0 through Martin’s field goal in the 48th minute, after Holly Hunt’s fiery strike into the Irish goalkeeper, with Martin in the right place at the right time to find the back of the net from very close range.
England won another penalty corner late on, but missed out on converting once again, as they slowed down proceedings to ensure a clean sheet and crucial three points.
Player of the match Alex Malzer said: “It didn’t start the way we wanted to start, but we felt we have got the momentum and 3-0 in our first game, so it’s good.
“We’ve just got to go forward, bring the energy, bring the momentum and hopefully get a goal. I think it was just our mindset, we stuck to our processes, we didn’t change anything and truly believed we can win.”
Join the exciting world of cryptocurrency trading with ByBit! As a new trader, you can benefit from a $10 bonus and up to $1,000 in rewards when you register using our referral link. With ByBit’s user-friendly platform and advanced trading tools, you can take advantage of cryptocurrency volatility and potentially make significant profits. Don’t miss this opportunity – sign up now and start trading!
Recent Comments