Spain’s women are looking to get back into the medal reckoning on the EuroHockey U21 Championships stage and potentially emulate their 2019 success the last time they hosted the event.
That was their maiden gold medal, adding to silver in 2012 along with four bronze medal outcomes in 19 prior appearances.
Key to their chances will be the form of Junior FC’s Teresa Lima who was named the best player at last year’s Junior World Cup, scoring four goals into the bargain.
Paula Jimenez is another central piece of their line-up. She was named the best player of the Liga Iberdrola for 2023/24. She has had a busy year already, playing for the Spanish women’s side in the EuroHockey Indoor Championship while she also has six senior outdoor caps, scoring three goals in those fixtures.
They will, however, miss the excellent Blanca Perez who is part of the Spanish Olympic panel.
Overall, they have 12 players from last December’s Junior World Cup where they finished in an ultimately frustrating eighth place. A 4-1 quarter-final loss to groups rivals the Netherlands and a 2-1 setback against the Germans gives them plenty of scope for revenge.
From the home club Atlètic Terrassa, there are a trio of home-based players looking to impress their home crowd – Mar Sola, Meritxell Vizcaino and Ainhoa Ballesteros.
From a wider local perspective, CD Terrassa are represented by Estel Petchame whose brother Pau will also represent Spain this week.
Goalkeeper Carlota Alvarez is just 16 until November but she has already played at senior indoor international level, saving a penalty stroke on debut in Berlin earlier this year against Austria in the bronze medal match. She hails from HC Albor in Ourense in the north west of Spain.
Best performance: Winners (2019)
