Ireland must face the wooden spoon match against Russia at the women's World Cup in Perth, Australia, tomorrow after losing 4-3 to Ukraine.
They got the ideal start when top scorer Arlene Boyles scored from a 14th-minute penalty corner but this was cancelled out four minutes later by Ukraine captain Tetyana Kobzenko's own set-piece.
Another corner strike from Boyles - her fifth of the competition - put the Irish ahead again and Jenny Burke made it 3-1.
However, crucially Zhanna Savenko pulled one back five minutes before half-time and two goals in as many minutes soon after the interval from Svitlana Kolomiyets and Natalya Vasyukova put the World Cup debutants into the 13th place play-off against South Africa.
This was the Irish's eighth straight defeat - they have lost every game in the tournament - but the fact it was the fifth time there had been only one goal difference should give them something to build on.
PA