Tomorrow’s final of the EuroHockey Club Trophy in Munich promises to be an intriguing affair as the free-scoring Campo de Madrid take on the structured and highly skilled Münchner. Both teams are unbeaten, with the German team conceding no goals and scoring 11 in three matches, while the Spanish team has scored more goals – 19 – but conceded two.
Neither side is giving anything away ahead of the final, but both Ampara Gil of Madrid and Hayley Brown of Münchner, said they were ready for the challenge ahead.
Minsk and Grodno are two teams hoping to finish in the top three, although Grodno will go into the fixture with a not-so-secret weapon at their disposal – the tournament’s top scorer so far is the Grodno captain Volha Shyntar.
In the battle for fifth spot, Pegasus have the slight edge over rivals Sumchanka, having ground out a 4-4 draw against grodno today, while both Menzieshill and Amiscora will be keen to finish their tournament with a win.
GHC Ritm Grodno vs Pegasus 4-4
Very different weather conditions faced the players on the third day of competition in Munich. Gone was the heat and in its place rain and cold. On the pitch however, things really heated up and this opening game from Pool B turned into a goal-fest.
Grodno’s Volha Shyntar played a captain’s role as she opened the scoring with the first goal of her hat-trick. The opener came in the seventh minute of the game, with Shyntar pouncing on a loose ball in the circle and slamming it home.
Pegasus’ captain, Alex Speers, was equal to any challenge and she brought her side level just three minutes later with another well-taken goal from open play.
Grodno went a player down after Hanna Lupach collected a yellow card and Pegasus quickly took advantage, Rachel McMillan lifting the ball over goalkeeper Tatsiana Kechanto put her side 2-1 up. However, Grodno countered and Yulia Kurhanskaya brought the scores back to 2-2. Shortly before half-time, Shyster scored her second – a tremendous strike that flew past Jessica Perry in the Pegasus goal.
After the break both teams pushed hard for the win. Hannah McMillan levelled with a penalty corner and then Shyster grabbed the lead back in the 43rd minute.
The pace of this game was frenetic and the action was end-to-end, which meant it was no surprise when one minute after Shyntar scored, Speers followed suit to make it 4-4.
Pegasus had a nervy final nine minutes when Stephanie Quinn received a yellow card but Grodno couldn’t take advantage and an entertaining game ended honours even.
The result means Grodno finished the pool in second place, one point ahead of Pegasus.
Menzieshill vs Campo Madrid 0-6
With the Spanish side already qualified for tomorrow’s, this was a case of whether Menzieshill could turn the experiences of the past two days into a winning performance.
In fact, Campo de Madrid took to the pitch with confidence and pace and the Scottish team were no match for them.
Alicia Magaz Merano and Carmen Cano Ruiz scored in the sixth and eighth minute respectively, both goals resulting from fast build-up play that left their opponents chasing shadows.
The second quarter was goalless but the third quarter saw Madrid really piling on the pressure and it was a question of when, not if, a goal would be scored. It was Merano who finally made the pressure pay to claim her second of the match and she was followed onto the score-sheet two minutes later by Monica Figar Coghen.
Ampara Gil scored a beautifully-taken penalty corner to take Madrid’s lead to 5-0 and, with four minutes left in the match, Maria Lopez Garcia scored the sixth, another well-struck penalty corner.
Speaking after the game, Beatriz Perez Lagunas said: “Today we started well, scoring two goals quickly but it was during the third and fourth quarter when we really showed our best hockey and played more as we wanted to. Whoever we meet in the final tomorrow, we are looking forward to it.”
Amiscora vs Sumchanka 0-1
After the 4-4 and 6-0 results of the earlier matches, a 1-0 game seemed a much quieter affair. But these were two teams who were working hard defensively to keep the ball from their net while waiting for the opportunity to score.
As such, it was a very even game, with neither side giving an inch in the first 30 minutes of play. There were signs, however, as the game moved on, that Sumchanka were beginning to get more possession and create more opportunities.
Both teams went close but either good play by the ‘keepers – Amiscora’s Alina Fadieieva and Sumchanka’s Tetiana Stepanchenko – or misplaced shooting, mean the score remained 0-0.
It was in the 34th minute that the deadlock was finally broken. Sumchanka’s captain Yevhenizya Kernoz found herself with space to shoot and made no mistake.
Sumchanka’s Yevhenyia Moroz said that, while the team were happy with the win, they would have liked to have created and scored more goals.
The result means Sumchanka will play Pegasus for fifth place, while Amiscora will face Menzieshill in the battle for seventh place.
Münchner vs Minsk 6-0
An emphatic 5-0 win over Minsk sent the host club Münchner into tomorrow’s final and the manner of their victory will have put their opponents, Campo de Madrid, on high alert.
The German side never looked anything but dominant against a Minsk side that had been unbeaten in their previous matches, but who had no answers this time.
German international and team captain Hannah Kruger set the ball moving as she hammered home a penalty corner in the seventh minute. Following her captain’s lead Hayley Brown found the net a further three times, her goals were two well-taken penalty corners and then a goal from open play.
Münchner’s fifth goal came from another member of Die Danas, Nina Hasselmann, who also converted her penalty corner opportunity.
Hat-trick hero Hayley Brown spoke after the game: “We are very happy as a team to have made the final. That was our goal coming into the weekend. We are very much looking forward to that and we are very much looking forward to playing Club Campo tomorrow.
The result leaves Minsk playing Grodno for third place, while the home side can expect the majority of the crowd to be urging them on against the lively Madrid team in tomorrow’s final.
Monday 5 June
Match schedule:
08:30 Amiscora vs Menzieshill
10:45 Sumchanka vs Pegasus
13:00 Minsk vs Grodno
15:15 Münchner vs Campo de Madrid
EuroHockey Club Trophy 2017 Women – Munich, Germany – Day 3