The Irish Women’s Hockey team have taken a further step towards the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Girls in Green sailed into the F-I-H Series final with a convincing 4-0 win over the Czech Republic at Banbridge today.
First half goals from Zoe Wilson and Shirley McKay along with second half strikes from Sarah Hawkshaw and Anna O'Flanagan secured the win.
Last year's World Cup finalists have been in fine form in the tournament, and qualified for the semi-final thanks to a comprehensive 11-0 victory over Singapore at the beginning of the week.
They’ll now face the winner of Korea and Malaysia’s semi-final that takes place this afternoon.
THANK YOU IRELAND! You came, you saw, you conquered. Tomorrow, we go again! Will you be joining us for the FINAL of the FIH Series Finals? Limited amount of tickets still available so be quick. https://t.co/ELkvj5EzL0 #RoadToTokyo #20x20 #GreenArmy pic.twitter.com/syks7y6QEs
— Irish Hockey (@irishhockey) June 15, 2019
Speaking afterwards Shirly McCay said afterwards they “enjoyed the game, stuck to their guns when they had a game plan they wanted to implement…we showed good character and got the goals.”
She added that they were “looking forward to tomorrow…from a momentum and rankings point of view we want to do as much as we can to get the win and build the confidence.”
The goal-scorer also acknowledged the crowd support at the Ulster venue saying they “deserve so much plaudits and we need them again tomorrow.”
They're now assured of an Olympic play-off tie later this year.
#FIHSeriesFinals #Banbridge
"Having qualified for the FIH Olympic Qualifiers we will still go in tomorrow's game with the same intensity and will go for a win to maintain our momentum and confidence"
- @irishhockey's @shirleymccay after qualifying for the FIH Olympic Qualifier. pic.twitter.com/TkMd4dAtwZ— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) June 15, 2019
Earlier today, the Irish men's team defeated Scotland 4-2 in their first round game.
Eugene Magee scored twice with Shane O'Donoghue and Michael Robson also on target.
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