Today presented an interesting challenge – to play the Olympic hosts on their own patch and they are a very unorthodox side to play against – yet Chris Duncan`s charges responded with grit, courage and no shortage of skill to come away with a 2-1 win.
And that squared the three match series – a win each and a draw. Not a bad achievement considering it was a young side that went to Paris and without Great Britain players.
However, the cause did not start off very well. In only 90 seconds a mistake led to a French penalty corner which the home side duly converted.
But the Scots soon settled down after the early setback and played some of their best hockey of the series as they dominated proceedings, so it was perhaps no surprise that the equaliser duly arrived courtesy of Edinburgh University`s Katie Swanson, she advanced into the circle and unleashed a fierce low shot that gave the French keeper no chance at all.
1-1… and that was half-time.
The Scots came out flying in the second half and produced a dominant display the Olympic hosts were unable to cope with.
The reward came halfway through the third quarter. Emily Dark delivered the telling pass from fully 30 yards from the right hand side that was brilliantly deflected home by Heather McEwan.
Scotland`s dominance continued in what turned out to be a physical game and they confidently played out the rest of the contest to win and square the series.
Head coach Chris Duncan reflected. “This performance is a really pleasing and exciting step forwards. We have a new group who are really buying into our philosophy and are taking strides with every game played and trip that passes.
“We played with real intensity and passion today, but were able to show control and composure when it mattered and that is such a positive step.
“We have a big summer ahead and this series following our games against Canada have been really powerful for us to keep moving forward. I`m really proud of the playing group and of the staff for how they have come together and chased excellence.”
