Italy level series with a win in Glasgow
The second match in ‘The Italian Series’ was played earlier today and the visitors from Italy were looking for a win to even the score after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Scots’ women
The first quarter of the match was fairly even, but the visitors always looking the more likely to score. However, the first real chance of the match went to Scotland when Hanna McKie fired a shot from the top of the D straight at the keeper.
The Italian’s continued to press and only a dogged performance in defence prevented them opening the scoring.
Another Scot’s’ chance went begging late in the quarter when a penalty corner strike from Kaz Cuthbert was well saved, but the quarter ended at 0-0.
That Italian attacking spirit came into play in the second quarter as three goals put the visitors in the clear before the half time break.
The first of these came in the 18th minute from a Maria Socina penalty corner strike which beat the defence on it’s way to the backboard.
The second came seven minutes later from another penalty corner. This time, Lucy Camlin in the Scots’ goal saved the initial drive down to her right, but the ball rebounded straight out to Lara Oviedo who tapped the ball in for the goal and 2-0.
The third Italian goal of the quarter came just over a minute later from open play when the ball found its way past a huddle of bodies on the line to Sofia Maldonado, who slammed the ball into the net for number three.
Scotland then survived a couple of ‘nearlies’ near the end of the half, but Watsonian’s Camlin pulled a couple of superb stops out the bag to keep the score to 3-0 at the break.
Right from the start of the second half, Italy were on Scotland’s case once again and had an early chance as they flooded the opposition D, Eugenia Mastronardi just failing to get a stick on a vicious cross from the right, but Scotland came right back when a long ball from Bex Condie found Kate Holmes in the Italian D.
With both sides able to make inroads, it wasn’t until late in the half that the Scots pulled a goal back. A penalty corner awarded near the end of the quarter saw Condie taking the first strike, but it fell to Millie Brown – recently selected for GB’s Elite Development Programme – to finish off for 3-1.
The fourth quarter saw the best of the play as, again, both sides strove for a gaol – Scotland to level and Italy to ensure the win – but it was the home side that struck.
A few seconds after Italy had worried the Scottish net, Nikki Alexander-Lloyd put in a strong run down the left and released Brown into the D. She was forced wide, but scored with a sublime reverse strike from just short of the line which left the Italian keeper stranded.
With the score at 3-2, Scotland ramped up their game, but despite keeping the opposition under pressure, couldn’t find a third goal to even things up.
Speaking of ‘evening things up’, the sides now have one win apiece, so it’s a ‘Winners Take All’ game tomorrow (Friday) when the teams meet for the third and final match-up in ‘The Italian Series’.
Images from the match will appear here over the next few days.
