Scotland U21 Women win gold in Konya to qualify for A Division and Junior World Cup – Scottish Hockey

A 1-0 victory over Ukraine at the final of U21 EuroHockey Championship II in Konya has secured Scotland Women the gold medal; their spot in the U21 EuroHockey Championships; and qualification for the Junior World Cup for the first time since 2005.

Scotland started the game on top and controlled the contest from the first whistle. The Scots were dominant on the ball and shut down any threat from Ukrainian counter attacks.

There was a lot of action around the circle but not many clear opportunities to strike at goal. The best chance in the early part of the game came after a good carry into the circle by Katie Brett saw her pick out Ava Smith who glanced the ball just wide of the mark.

Then a pass fizzed across goal by Zara Kennedy just missed the Scottish sticks arriving to finish.

The longer the game went on the more space opened up for the Scots to exploit. The second quarter saw Scotland take the lead and it was Kennedy who applied the composed finish at the back post after a pass across goal from the right. 1-0.

In the second half Lexi McMillan almost made it 2-0 when she thundered a shot at goal towards the roof of the net, but it crashed against the keeper’s helmet and rebounded clear.

A couple of cards saw Scotland go down to nine players for a spell and Ukraine got on top, but the Scots defended with heart and kept the danger at bay.

In the final stages of the contest Scotland should great maturity to see the game out and win the tournament while make their own bit of history with Junior World Cup qualification.

Head Coach Jimmy Culnane said, “I’m very proud of the players. I’m proud of their diligence, not just over this week, but over the months leading up to the tournament. A lot of hard work has gone into this tournament and the players stepped up to a new level and deserve all the success they’ve just achieved.”

Scotland Women’s Head Coach and Programme Lead, Chris Duncan, said, “I’m so proud of the pathway. We’ve all come together with a new performance plan and programme and worked hard to achieve this. I’m proud of all the staff for bringing this to life.”