Strathclyde Sirens surge to another victory against Celtic Dragons

It was a great start for the Dragons defence as new defensive duo Leila Thomas and Abby Tyrrell combined to put pressure on Sirens’ first shot, forcing the rebound out of court. Sirens responded with two quickfire goals but then suffered the loss of their starting goal attack, Lynsey Gallagher, to injury early in the quarter.

An Abby Tyrrell interception gave Dragons a platform to take a bite back out of the opposition lead, however, Sirens wing defence Taylor Cullen plagued the Dragons’ drive throughout the first quarter, providing her team’s attack with the ammunition to take a five-goal lead.

Dragons kept to their work, however, and Laura Rudland teamed up with Amy Clinton to get it back within three in the final moments of the period. An obstruction call early in the second quarter meant a loss of impetus for Dragons but some patient build-up in midcourt allowed the team in green to steady the ship and get a score on the board.

It was Sirens who looked the sharper as the period progressed, with Emma Barrie left totally unmarked for a long feed from a restart. Shona O’Dwyer coming on did make an impact, though, and Dragons' focus on zonal marking helped Lucy Howells to force a turnover and interrupt Sirens’ flow.

As a result, Dragons finished the half with a flourish - Amy Clinton standing rock steady with 100% shooting accuracy. Being double marked was no bother to Clinton as she started the second half in the same strong form. Both sides traded blows, but gradually unforced errors from Dragons saw Sirens eke out a double-digit lead.

Annika Lee-Jones came on at goal keeper as Tania Hoffman looked to turn the tables and the Australian forced an immediate turnover. The continued dynamism of Tyrrell and Howells combined with Lee-Jones’ physicality shut Sirens out for extended periods, but they held on to their lead with the final 12 minutes still to come.

It was all about Tyrrell in the final quarter as the defender made successive interceptions to help her team’s attempt to cut the deficit. Nevertheless, when Dragons looked to really be impressing themselves on the opposition an offside call saw the momentum swing in the other direction.

With the game seemingly out of reach for Dragons in the final minutes, some scrappiness creeped in and the Scottish outfit were able to put the match to bed by recording a big fourth-quarter score.

Cardiff Metropolitan University Player of the Match: Bethan Goodwin (Strathclyde Sirens)

Match report from Celtic Dragons

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