Women’s EuroHockey U21 Championship preview – Spain
Appearances: 21
Best performance: 1st (2019)
Spain are back in the city of their greatest EuroHockey U21 success, their shoot-out win over the Netherlands in 2019 to take their maiden gold.
And they came close again two years ago when they fought back to 3-3 against the Dutch in the 2024 Terrassa final only for two late goals in the last five minutes sent the title the Oranje way.
They have a quartet back for another Euros including captain Teresa Saenz de Santa Maria, her RS Tenis club mate Carmen Fernandez, striker Sara Carmona and goalkeeper Carlota Alvarez.
The experience quota is further bolstered with 11 of this panel playing in December’s Junior World Cup, an ultimately frustrating experiences in some senses. They finished in ninth place overall but with five wins out of six, beating Japan, Ireland, Scotland, Canada and India, conceding just five times along the way.
** 24 EuroHockey U21 Championship matches from Pitch 1 in Valencia will be broadcast live on www.eurohockeytv.org with an €8.99 event pass (Click the graphic for more information)
Club Egara’s Natalia Vilanova was a key factor, scoring the winner against the Japanese and a vital one against India among her tournament total of five goals.
Campo’s Carlota Gonzalez is another with a lot of know-how from four successive seasons in the EHL, including a silver medal in 2023. Along with Cayetana Del Real and Alvarez, she helped the Madrid club win another Spanish championship this season.
Anna Marques, meanwhile, was instrumental in Atlètic Terrassa’s run to runners-up and earning her club a place in the EHL for the first time.
The side is coached by Alejandro Iglesias has been part of Spanish international coaching staff for almost 15 years in various roles, including being assistant to the senior men at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
| # | Name | Caps | Goals | Goals |
| 3 | Nuria Giménez | 0 | 0 | Valles Esportiu |
| 4 | Cristina Maristany | 0 | 0 | Real Club de Polo |
| 5 | Carlota Gonzalez | 6 | 0 | Club de Campo |
| 7 | Leire Zubizarreta | 6 | 1 | Real Sociedad de Futbol SAD |
| 8 | Alejandra de la Llama | 6 | 1 | SPV Complutense |
| 9 | Carmen Fernandez | 15 | 2 | RS Tenis |
| 10 | Sara Carmona Romas | 17 | 3 | SPV Complutense |
| 11 | Teresa Saenz de Santa Maria | 21 | 5 | RS Tenis |
| 13 | Gabriela Perez | 6 | 0 | Junior FC |
| 19 | Cayetana Del Real | 0 | 0 | Club de Campo |
| 21 | Marta Armenteras | 6 | 1 | Real Club de Polo |
| 22 | Natalia Vilanova | 6 | 5 | Club Egara |
| 24 | Ivet Marti | 6 | 0 | Junior FC |
| 27 | Anna Marques | 0 | 0 | Atlètic Terrassa |
| 28 | Marta Alcaraz | 6 | 3 | Junior FC |
| 30 | Marta Mitjavila | 0 | 0 | Club Egara |
| 32 | Elisa Muñoz | 0 | 0 | CD Malaga Carranque |
| 33 | Carlota Alvarez | 9 | 0 | Club de Campo |
| Sonia de Ignacio-Simo | Team Manager | |||
| Alejandro Iglesias | Head Coach | |||
| Eugenio Paulon | Assistant Coach | |||
| Oscar Palomero | Assistant Coach | |||
| Giovana Grein | Medical Doctor | |||
| Andrea Martinez | Physiotherapist | |||
| Eduardo Pesci | Physical Trainer | |||
| Pablo Gutierrez | Video Technician | |||
