Wilson marks her 100th cap in style as McCay also nets in win
ULSTER’S Zoe Wilson celebrated her 100th senior international cap with a goal in Ireland’s impressive 4-2 win over China at UCD yesterday.
The 22-year-old Randalstown player has some way to go if she is to emulate fellow Ulster woman Shirley McCay, who was also on target on the occasion of her 296th appearance.
Ireland were using the game to fine tune their preparations for the crunch Olympic qualifying double-header with Canada in Dublin at the end of November.
After Xiayun Li had given the Asians an early lead, Nikki Evans levelled matters before the halftime break.
McCay made it 2-1 from a penalty corner in the third quarter and Wilson extended the Irish lead in similar fashion before the Chinese pulled one back through Jiangxin.
Chloe Watkins added the insurance goal with a well-struck effort seven minutes from the end to seal a morale-boosting win from Ireland’s first game since last month’s European Championship.
Meanwhile, Ulster’s Under-18 and Under-16 girls had a double success at the youth inter-provincial tournament in Cork after completing their schedule with a clean sweep of victories yesterday.
Girls’ inter-pros: Under-16: Saturday: Ulster 1 (J Simmons) Leinster 0; Connacht 2 Ulster 5 (J Simmons 2, G Scott, D McGall, S Kidd).
Sunday: Munster 1 Ulster 1 (J Simmons) Ulster won shoot-out 3-2.
Under-18: Saturday: Ulster 1 (N McIvor) Leinster 0; Connacht 0 Ulster 5 (N McIvor, C Beggs, L Craig, M Cochrane, L Mackey). Sunday: Munster 1 Ulster 5 (M Cochrane, N McIvor, E Stewart, L Craig, C Beggs). Ulster Senior Cup: Pool A: CI1(LOwens) Armagh 5 (N Babika 2, C Frazer, L Johnston); Portadown 1 Priorians 5 (E Allen 2, J Kennedy, C Lapsley, J McCauley).
Pool B: North Down 3 (O Brown, A Kimber, H Brittain) Club KV 0; Omagh 3 (L McCollum, D Shortt, E Fulton) Coleraine 2 (G Bradley, Z Craig).