Under 16 and Under 18 Girls International Four Nations Valencia, Spain
ENGLAND Under-16 Girls missed out on the bronze medal despite a strong performance against Germany in their final match of the Four Nations Tournament in Valencia, Spain, on Easter Monday.
A strong German defence coupled with some inexperience in the circle led to Germany holding on to their early lead, which came after just 12 minutes through open play from Denise Danne.
“The girls worked incredibly hard, but struggled to finish in the circle,” said Team Manager Jackie Sharp. “Positives to come out of this week are that they have improved a lot from their first game, and it’s given them a good introduction to international hockey.
“We played with good intensity throughout the game, and when Germany scored our heads didn’t drop, and we fought back. But the German defence was very good, strong and physical, which we learned a lot from.” The team will next come together to play Scotland at the end of next month.
Under 18 Girls International Four Nations Valencia, Spain
Spain U18 Girls 4 (3) - 4 (2) England U18 Girls Alicia Magaz - 3 (F) Jess Orrett - 7 (PC) Andrea Guerra - 13 (F) Lucy Hyams - 9 (PC) Carola Salvatella - 24 (PC) Rebecca Van Berkel - 39 (PC) Celia Sanchez-Valverde - 36 (PC) Alice Freeman - 52 (F) * Spain won 3-1 on pen strokes ENGLAND Under-18 Girls narrowly missed out on the bronze medal in the Four Nations Tournament in Spain, losing to the hosts on penalty strokes in Valencia on Easter Monday.
The team have got stronger as the tournament went on, and after battling back from 4-2 down to level at 4-4 the team were disappointed to miss out with Spain winning 3-1 on flicks.
“We’re very disappointed to have lost on flicks,” said Assistant Coach Gareth Tyler. “However, we can’t underestimate the progress this group have made, especially considering the fact that we came back from 4-2 down to level the game.
“The improvements made are extremely pleasing and we hope we will continue to develop over the next two months as we head for the European Championships.” The match began at a frenetic pace, and after Spain took the lead with Alicia Magaz scoring from open play in the third minute, Firebrands’ Jess Orrett pulled England level with a seventh minute goal from a penalty corner.
England then took a 2-1 lead through Canterbury’s Lucy Hyams, who scored from a penalty corner after nine minutes, but their lead lasted just four minutes before Andrea Guerra scored for Spain.
The hosts led 3-2 at half time with Carola Salvatella having scored on 24 minutes from a corner routine, and they went 4-2 up shortly after the break, Celia Sanchez- Valverde scoring from a 36th minute penalty corner.
But England rallied, and Havant’s Rebecca Van Berkel scored three minutes later to close the gap, before Alice Freeman’s 52nd minute goal levelled the scores. England pushed for a winning goal, but the match went straight to penalty strokes and Spain held their nerve to win 3-1.
