ULSTER’S U13 hockey squads continued their fine start to the U13 UK Regional Championships winning four out of seven games on Day Two at the University of Nottingham grounds at Beeston.
Meanwhile, the Trophy side progressed to the tournament semi-finals having won their group, unbeaten and yet to concede a goal on a trip sponsored by Affinity Dental Care.
Ulster Championship 6-0 Wales
After just three minutes, Ulster took the lead with Maddie Wilson picking up where she left off on Day One.
Team mate Lexi Scott found the forward in the circle and she had time to turn and get a shot off before picking out the bottom corner to make it 1-0.
Just moments later the lead was doubled when Jessica Cartmill got the ball inside the circle with her back to goal.
The Ulster forward took the effort on her weak side, managing to flick through the legs of the goalkeeper and extend the sides lead to 2-0.
With 15 minutes gone the side were 3-0 up as a long ball forward left Madison Magee with just one player to beat before she calmly finished at the near post to score her first goal of the competition.
Three minutes later, it was 4-0 as Lucy Wilson added her name to the scoresheet.
The Ulster attacker received the ball along the goal line and opted to go for goal herself, squeezing her effort in at the near post to extend the Ulster lead.
As the second half got underway, the Ulster lead extended to 5-0 as Maddie Wilson got her second of the afternoon.
A ball into the circle found the forward who beat her opposite number in the circle and fired into the far bottom corner.
Before long it was 6-0 as Luella Connor-Boyd picked up a loose ball in the circle before picking her spot and extending the Ulster advantage.
Ulster Trophy 2-0 Trent Raiders
It took 10 minutes for the first chance of the game when Tiffany Simmons flashed a ball across the face of the Trent goal, but a defender’s stick diverted it away from the waiting Darcy Henry-McCool.
Just a minute later, Ulster took the lead when Penny Montague picked up the ball on the top of the circle before firing her effort into the far bottom corner.
As the second half got underway, Ulster were still on top as Emelia Cartmill forced the Trent goalkeeper into a strong save before the side won a number of penalty corners, but to no avail.
The pressure continued at the midway stage as Eve Armour was quickest to a loose ball in the circle before being denied by another good save from the Trent goalkeeper to keep it 1-0.
With just 10 minutes remaining, Trent had their first chance of the game as a close-range shot was well saved by Zahra Ebrahim before Hannah Gordon cleared the danger from the goalmouth.
As the game entered the final minutes, Ulster came even closer to doubling their advantage.
Simmons capitalised on a slip from the defender, before her shot from the top of the circle was once again saved by the feet of the goalkeeper, before a barrage of Ulster efforts couldn’t find the back of the net before the danger was cleared.
Right on the final whistle, we got our second goal as another loose ball was picked up by Emelia Cartmill, who fired in and sealed a 2-0 win for the side.
Ulster Championship 0-2 Mercian Marauders
A strong start for Ulster saw both Maddie Wilson and Madison Magee go close to getting an opening goal, but both saw their efforts saved by the goalkeeper.
Instead, it was Mercian Marauders who took the lead from a well-worked penalty corner being deflected in at the back post.
Meanwhile, the English side scored a second on the brink of half-time as Ulster trailed 2-0 at the break.
Unfortunately, in the second half, there was no route back into the game for the young Ulster side as a closely fought contest saw very few chances for either side.
Ulster Trophy 2-0 Wales
Having dominated the early stages, Ulster finally took the lead in the ninth minute.
A quickly taken long corner found Emelia Cartmill unmarked at the back post, and the Ulster forward fired in to open the scoring.
In the second half, Wales began to grow into the game with Zahra Ebrahim being forced into a good save down to her right before the Ulster defence held firm from a first Welsh penalty corner.
Following the Welsh chance, Ulster continued to push forward as Roxy Irvine beat a defender along the byline before trying to square the ball for a teammate.
Unfortunately, a defender was able to divert the ball away from Poppy Thompson at the back post, who otherwise would have been left with a tap-in.
However, just a minute later it was 2-0. Tiffany Simmons collected the ball off a teammate just outside the circle before firing across the goal and picking out the bottom corner.
Ulster Trophy 8-0 Tensworth
Ulster took the lead with just six minutes gone when Tiffany Simmons quickly taken free led to Roxy Irvine getting the ball whilst unmarked in the circle.
With plenty of time and space, the forward struck and picked out the bottom corner to give her side an early advantage.
Just moments later, it could’ve been 2-0 to Ulster as Ellie McLean won the ball out wide before finding Simmons at the top of the circle, but the forward sent her effort over the crossbar.
The Ulster pressure continued into the half as Irvine almost got her second of the tie. Having won a penalty corner, the midfielder sent her strike from the top of the circle just wide of the near post.
The second goal finally came on the brink of half-time when we were awarded another corner.
Injected to the top of the circle, Simmons took the ball on her reverse before striking low and hard into the bottom corner, giving her side a 2-0 lead at half-time.
At the start of the second half, Simmons was involved once more as her strike was well saved by the goalkeeper before Darcy Henry-McCool was on hand to convert the rebound and extend the lead.
Soon after it was 4-0 as Simmons got her second of the game.
Again from a penalty corner, the forward saw her initial strike saved, but only half cleared as she powered home the rebound.
From then on, the Ulster dominance ensued, with Ellie McLean and Emelia Cartmill scoring two quick-fire goals to bring the tally to 6-0.
Meanwhile, two late goals from Eve Armour and Rachael Kirkpatrick rounded off an emphatic 8-0 win.
Ulster Championship 0-2 South Saxons
In a relatively quiet first half, the best Ulster chance came after 10 minutes when Maddie Wilson saw her strike from the top of the circle well saved by the goalkeeper.
However, it was the South Saxons who took the lead into the second half.
Having threatened from a penalty corner just moments before, they were awarded another set play and a strike from the top of the circle saw the deadlock broken at the end of the first half.
The second period saw another tightly contested fixture with few chances for either side. However, with five minutes remaining, Ulster were awarded a late penalty stroke after Maddie Wilson drew a foul from the goalkeeper.
Unfortunately, Wilson was denied by the shot-stopper from the spot before Saxons won and converted a stroke of their own to secure a late 2-0 win for their side.
Ulster Trophy 0-0 Solent
A quiet first half saw limited chances for either side, with Tiffany Simmons going closest as she narrowly missed the target from a penalty corner.
At the other end, there were a handful of corners for Solent, but Zahra Ebrahim and her defence kept the danger at bay to send the sides into the break goalless.
In the second half, Ulster began to take control of the tie and create more goal-scoring opportunities.
First, it was Roxy Irvine who went close as her shot from a narrow angle was saved by the goalkeeper.
Meanwhile, Eve Armour capitalised on a mistake at the back to go through against the goalkeeper, but she sent her effort just wide of the near post.
Ultimately, neither side was able to find a breakthrough goal as it ended 0-0 and the Trophy squad earned top spot in the group stage, unbeaten and without conceding a goal.
