UDG Healthcare World League Round 2

18 Mar 2015

Ireland proved far too strong for Turkey to complete their UDG Healthcare World League Round 2 pool games with a huge 13-0 win, with Naomi Carroll netting four times at Belfield.
Emma Smyth weighed in with her first international hat trick while Megan Frazer scored twice with Katie Mullan, Anna O'Flanagan, Nikki Evans and Aine Connery also chipping in.

It sets up a quarter-final date with Lithuania on Thursday after the tournament hosts completed their group phase with three wins from three in this section of the Olympic qualifying process.

Mullan got the scoring underway on four minutes with a powerful backhand shot to the top corner after she was afforded a wealth of space in the circle.

Carroll got her first in the ninth minute, walking the ball home as the signs already began to look ominous for a big score.

Smyth then powered home for 3-0 before the end of the first quarter. From there, it was target practice with five more arriving before half time, some of them spectacular in their conception.

Carroll's second was a collector's item, shooting in off the underside of the crossbar, Evans tickled a Cliodhna Sargent corner sweep before Smyth got her second from a close range rebound.

Frazer cracked home the next before O'Flanagan got on the end of another corner move. Carroll completed her hat trick two minutes into the second half to make it 9-0 as the run continued while Smyth's third closed out the victory with five minutes remaining.

It puts Ireland in good shape for their date with Lithuania on Thursday. Win that and they will have two shots at reaching the top three of the competition which means they will progress to World League 3 where the Olympic places are decided.

Darren Smith: "It was great for the girls to score a few goals and I thought we did some good things today. It was a good day.

"It keeps our form going into the crunch end of the tournament on Thursday which will be a tough game against Lithuania. From there, we play the winner of Ukraine and Belarus possibly on Saturday so there is two big games coming up. Hopefully, we can do a good job with the tail end of the tournament."

Ireland: A McFerran, C Sargent, E Smyth, S McCay, M Frazer, A Connery, N Daly, H Matthews, K Mullan, A O'Flanagan, G Pinder
Subs: N Evans, N Carroll, C Watkins, L Colvin, K Dillon, A Meeke, E Gray

Turkey: S Guzeller, K Guzelal, C Baser, O Calayir, M Koksal, S Alpakan, A Esen, P Kucukkoc, L Ozturk, E Bahcivan, F Gultekin
Subs: P Yilmaz, S Ozdere, O Yaldiz, D Aksoy, E Iskender, M Oymal, S Turker