Johnson Hails Wales Women After Giving Commonwealth Games Qualifying Bid A Huge Boost

Wales put up brave display before losing 2-0 to higher-ranked Ireland in Kuala Lumpur

Johnson Hails Wales Women After Giving Commonwealth Games Qualifying Bid A Huge Boost

Wales head coach Kevin Johnson hailed his side after their hopes of reaching the World League Round 2 final were ended by Ireland.

Johnson admitted he was proud of his players after the 2-0 defeat by world ranked No 16 Ireland in the semi-final in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

Wales will now face Italy on Monday in the 3rd-4th place play-off having given their Commonwealth Games qualifying hopes a huge boost with their displays in Malaysia.

Johnson said: “In what was always going to be a tough assignment, I was so proud of how we played throughout the match.

“Despite a large difference in world ranking, we matched a strong Irish side in several areas.

“The only difference between the two sides ultimately was that Ireland took their chances very well, whilst we were not able to make enough quality chances with our share of possession.”

Wales, ranked 32 in the world, lost out to two quick goals just before the end of the first-half through Yvonne O’Byrne and Anna O’Flanagan.

Johnson added: “We really pushed Ireland back in the 3rd and 4th quarter and this especially shows how competitive we are becoming and how able we are to compete at a higher level.

“We now aim to finish the tournament positively in our final classification match tomorrow.”

Wales lost to Italy 3-0 in their opening game of the pool before convincing wins over Singapore and Thailand saw them qualify along with their European rivals.

And reaching the semis – after beating Kazakhstan 2-1 in the quarter-finals – will only help Johnson’s side in the bid to qualify for the Commonwealths on Australia’s Gold Coast in 2018.
Hockey Wales Head of Performance Dan Clements said: “It’s been fantastic to see the progress of the women’s squad over the past 12 months.

“The results have been very positive and it’s been great to see them compete with and beat higher ranked nations on a regular basis.

“This world league performance is testament to their hard work and where they want to go as a group; both they and the management should be extremely proud.

“To go toe to toe with the world number 16 in a semi-final will be a huge learning experience for them as they look towards a big summer in the Europeans.

“It’s a really exciting time for both the senior women’s and men’s teams.

“The performances they have produced to progress to World League 2 paints a nice picture of what the future holds for Wales, with a passionate and hard working group of players and staff that are focused on sustained success.”

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