Wales women lost 0-4 to Canada in their opening match of the 2022 Commonwealth Games at Birmingham University.
Wales got off to a strong start, holding possession and attacking from the outset, with Sarah Jones having a superb shot on goal in the 6th minute.
This was quickly followed by a penalty stroke for Wales awarded after a penalty corner. Sian French took the stroke which was saved on the line by the Canadian goalkeeper.
The second quarter started in a similar manner, with Sarah Jones having two shots on goal in the 20th minute and Wales awarded another penalty corner.
Almost immediately after, Canada broke free and Hannah Haughn scored their first goal of the game.
A flurry of green cards followed. Izzie Howell and Hannah Cozens served 2-minute suspensions for Wales, as did Canada’s Alexis De Armond.
Another chance from Wales failed to find the back of the net, this time from Livvy Hoskins.
The second half started with a shot on goal from Wales’ Amy Burton, before Brienne Stairs scored the second goal for Canada.
Wales dug in their heels and continued to test the Canadian defence but struggled to find the all-important goals.
In the 45th minute, Sara Mcmanus scored the third goal for Canada from a penalty corner.
Five minutes later, Stairs scored Canada’s fourth goal and her second of the game, easing Canada to victory.
The game saw four yellow cards in total, one for Canada (Amanda Woodcroft) and three for Wales in the second half (Jo Westwood, Leah Wilkinson and Sarah Jones).
Reflecting on the game, Sophie Robinson, who made her 50th appearance for Wales, said “Obviously we aren’t happy with the result. We could have scored some goals today but got to stick to our processes and go again tomorrow.”
Wales women play again tomorrow against India at 19:00.
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