UCD completed the perfect tournament as they stormed to a strong 4-1 final win over Gaziantep Polisgücü in Alanya to win the women’s EuroHockey Club Trophy II.
It was enough to earn Ireland a place in the Euro Hockey League next season with the results of HK Rakovnik (Czechia) in third place enough for their nation to qualify, too.
** To see the tables, results and fixtures from the event, click here
Final: UCD Ladies HC![]()
v Gaziantep Polisgücü SK 4-1
UCD won the women’s EuroHockey Club Trophy II with a strong win over Gaziantep Polisgücü, a result that guarantees Ireland a place in the Euro Hockey League season.
The early stages of this final game were closely fought but the breakthrough eventually came for the Irish side. UCD, who began strongly, took the lead in the 13th minute when Leah O’Shea converted a penalty corner, a lead they maintained at the end of the first quarter.
Captain Emma Paul increased their lead in the 25th minute with another penalty corner for 2-0.
Despite being reduced to 10 players at time, UCD continued their control in the third quarter and they were next on the board. Florence Maughan added the third goal from open play in the 35th minute . It wasn’t long before they added a fourth via Lauren Moore.
It put them out of sight and while Gaziantep became the first side to score against the Dublin students via captain Perihan Cinar, it proved to be a consolation goal for the Turkish outfit.
3rd/4th playoff: HC 1972 Rakovník![]()
v Cambrai HC 3-1
HC 1972 Rakovník secured a 3-1 victory over Cambrai, a result which meant Czechia will receive an EHL spot next year as well.
Rakovník took an early lead with a field goal from Anna Vorlová in the 2nd minute for a dream start but the French side fought back to level in the 22nd minute with a field goal by Charlotte Querleu.
Rakovník regained the lead in the 38th minute when Klára Hvězdová converted a penalty stroke and they sealed their victory in the 56th minute with another field goal from Hvězdová.
With this win, HC 1972 Rakovník finishes in 3rd place in the tournament, while Cambrai HC takes 4th place.
5th/6th playoff Edinburgh University HC![]()
v AHTC Wien 1-2
In the 5th/6th place playoff, hosts AHTC Wien secured a 2-1 victory over Edinburgh University HC.
Wien took an early lead with a field goal from Katharina Proksch in the 15th minute; the students replied just before halftime with a field goal by Lunjika Nyirenda in the 30th minute. The decisive moment came late in the match when AHTC Wien’s Hannah Szladits scored in the 57th minute to secure the win.
AHTC Wien finishes in 5th place in the tournament, while Edinburgh University HC takes 6th place.
7th/8th playoff: Swansea HC v Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija 1-1 (Swansea win shoot-out 3-2)
Swansea HC edged out Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija with a 3-2 victory in a shootout after a 1-1 draw. The match saw Šiauliai take the lead in the 34th minute with a field goal by Dovilė Kuklienė. Swansea drew level in the final quarter with a field goal from Ruth Bowe in the 53rd minute.
The match proceeded to a shootout and then a sudden death period, where Bowe scored after a retake for the win for her team.
With this win, Swansea HC secured 7th place in the tournament, while Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija finishing 8th.
