Ireland Take Series Lead In 3-1 Victory Over Canada
The third match in the series signalled another Cap milestone. Anna O'Flanagan earned her 100th international cap for the green army. Anna earned her first cap in 2010 against Scotland and has been an ever-present member of the squad since. Congratulations to Anna!
The intensity one has come to expect when these two sides meet was on display from the opening whistle. It took Ireland under 3 minutes to score the first goal of the match. Chloe Brown put a well-placed strike past the keeper to give her side the lead. The ever-threatening Canadian side responded quickly though and the match was soon level at 1-1. 1-1
The second quarter saw the green army move up a gear and increase their pace of play. Ireland created a close scoring chance but could not convert. As the clock ticked down, Ireland earned 3 penalty corners in a row. The first half came to a close with the score remaining at 1-1, a credit to the Canadian defence who kept the Irish attack at bay. 1-1
It was the Canadians who came out with an increased tempo in the third quarter and called the Irish defence into action. It wasn't long before the women in green had chances of their own with a penalty corner and consistent pressure. The deadlock was finally broken by Anna O'Flanagan and Ireland took the lead 2-1. The Canadians were issued a green card as the third quarter ticked down. 2-1
The final quarter saw the green army earn another penalty corner and it was Captain Megan Frazer who calmly converted from the well-worked set piece and put Ireland 3-1 up. The collective team effort of the green army didn't let up for the rest of the game and as the final whistle sounded Ireland took a 2-1 lead in the 4 match series. 3-1
Final Score: Ireland 3 (Brown, O'Flanagan, Frazer) vs Canada 1
The final match in the series, which is also the green army's final warm up match before WL3 in Valencia, takes place tomorrow at 11pm(Irish time).
The men's squad will embark on their final warm up matches with 2 fixtures against world number 4 Belgium on Saturday June 6th and Sunday June 7th at 2pm(Irish time) in Belgium at KHC Dragons.