Johnson Praises Wales Woman As They Finish Fourth In World League Rd 2

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.
But Wales have 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.
In the third-fourth place play-off on Sunday, Wales were beaten 3-1 by Italy.
Celina Traverso and Valentina Braconi gave the Italians a 2-0 lead by the 33rd minute.
Sian French quickly pulled a goal back on 35 minutes from a penalty corner, but Braconi netted her second with six minutes left to seal the win.
Ireland beat the hosts Malaysia 3-0 in the final on Sunday.
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 work.”