Women’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy (Lambersart, France)
AHTC Wien have the advantage going into the final day of action at the women’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy in Lambersart, knowing even a losing bonus point will be enough to land gold.
They produced another big win, this time breaking the 100% record of Watsonians with a 4-0 success – incredibly, the Austrians have not conceded in 145 minutes of indoor since letting in their one goal against HC Olten.
It meant that once Tessa von Velsen and Helene Herzog put them two goals up, Watsonians had a mountain to climb. A second half pair of goals from Maria-Luisa Esser made the result extra safe.
Earlier, hosts Lambersart picked up a vital 1-0 win over Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija with Inès Statius’s single goal in the 25th minute all that separated the sides.
The win lifted the French side to six points and with a big showdown against AHTC Wien on Sunday to determine their hopes of promotion.
A three-goal win would hand the French side the title while AHTC are in control of their own destiny with a hugely positive goal difference also helping their cause.
Watsonians will hope their chances of promotion for Scotland are still alive when they take on Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija.
In Pool C, final quarter goals from Sarah Patton and Maedbh Le Roux earned Railway Union a 4-2 win over SG Amsicora ASD, a result which assures Ireland a spot in this competition in 2027.
They had trailed early to a Eleonora Di Mauro goal but Le Roux levelled before the end of Q1 and then Patton put them in front at half time. Di Mauro made it 2-2 in Q3 but Railway were put on track by their late goals.
HC Olten are also safe after they came from a goal down in the last eight minutes to beat Gaziantep Doruk 3-2. Yeter Okumuș and Aysun Epengin had given the Turks a 2-1 lead but Maya Flury and a winner from Anne Bohrer turned the tables.
As a result, the battle to avoid the one relegation place from this event will be contested between Amsicora – on three points – and Gaziantep Doruk (one point) on Sunday morning.
