Ireland qualified for the EuroHockey Championships with a commanding 7-0 win over Turkey in their final game of the qualifying tournament.
Michelle Carey, Naomi Carroll, Katie McKee, Niamh Carey, Deirdre Duke, Roisin Upton and Sarah Hawkshaw were all on the scoresheet in Dublin.
The Czech Republic’s 1-0 victory over Poland ensured Ireland’s passage to the finals.
The EuroHockey Championships take place in Germany next August.
The result means the squad can now look ahead to the next eighteen months as the Olympics qualification period for Paris 2024 will take them to the Nations Cup in Valencia in December and the European Finals.
In front of a home crowd, Ireland found the going difficult in the early stages against a Turkish side willing to play with all eleven players behind the ball.
Upton had the best chance of the first quarter when she forced a good save from the Turkish goalkeeper Serpil Turker.
And it was the Limerick player who was instrumental when the first goal did arrive early in the second quarter. From a penalty corner Upton picked out Michelle Carey who deflected it high into the net.
Minutes later Ireland doubled their advantage with a replica corner except this time it was Carroll with the finish, again from the assist of Upton.
Ireland’s third strike before half-time was a first international goal for Ulster’s McKee. From a penalty corner for Turkey the ball was won in the Irish circle by Katie Mullan, who found Carey and her superb long pass down the middle of the pitch was taken by McKee who had a breakaway that was initially foiled by Turker but McKee regathered the ball and struck it home.
Turker made amends with a brilliant save from an Upton penalty stroke as Ireland began to really assert themselves.
It took just 18 seconds after half-time for Niamh Carey to move into the circle and make it 4-0 and Ireland’s fifth was a beautifully worked team goal with Hawkshaw’s run into the circle and pass on the reverse across the face of goal converted by Duke.
Upton finally got on the scoresheet as the third quarter came to a close as she rescued a botched corner routine and slipped the ball through the pads of Turker.
In truth Ireland could very easily have seen their tally rise to double figures. In the final quarter Hawkshaw picked up a loose ball and fired in the seventh goal as their opponents began to tire
