The Women’s National Team earned their first victory of the 2015 European Lacrosse Championship, defeating Austria 15-8. This was Ireland’s first match of pool play, where they will also face Scotland and Belgium in pool play. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, and the Championship match is Saturday, 15 August.
Offensively, the Irish had eight players notch points in the game, led by Robyn Morris with 2 goals and 3 assists. Caroline Peters and newcomer Rachel Ward both netted hat tricks (3 goals a piece). Schyler Neale and newcomer Nonie Andersen both scored two goals, while Tori Devine added two goals and an assist. Claire Halliday had one goal, and newcomer Anna Bischoff had an assist.
Defensively, the Green Machine racked up some great statistics. Orla McCourt, Rebecca Headon, and Pamela Smithwick all caused at least two Austrian turnovers. Breada Farrell casued three turnovers and was crucial in midfield transition. Lucy Morris caused a turnover and was very important in transition, ensuring Irish possession. Goalie Ashley DeFlumere stood tall in cage and made 6 saves, including a furious series of three directly on her doorstep.
Coach Sarah Walsh said, “This was a good first match for us. We came together as a team as the game progressed. We are learning to trust [each other] on the fly. Certainly, there are ways to build, but this was a great starting point. There were various players that stepped up in different and unexpected roles. This allows for lots of fluidity throughout the field, and movement within positions. I am looking forward to applying the lessons from this game to our game against Scotland.”
The next game for the Green Machine is against Scotland on Saturday, 8 August at 15:00 (Nymburk local time). The live stream of the game will be presented on ec15lax.com. The game will also be live-tweeted to @IrelandWLax.
AMC Consulting Player of the Game: Nonie Andersen (#10)
- Orla McCourt and Rebecca Headon are still tied at 29 caps each, most ever for the women’s program.
- Newcomers Nonie Andersen, Rachel Ward, Anna Bischoff all tallied their first international points.
- Reminder to follow Ireland Lacrosse on Instagram, Facebook, and BOTH Twitter accounts: IrelandLacrosse & IrelandWLax.
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