HOCKEY/World Cup: The only consolation for the Irish players after yesterday's 4-3 defeat by the Ukraine in the 13th-16th place play-offs at the World Cup is that their tournament ends today, when they play Russia this morning to avoid finishing 16th and last.
Desperate to bring an end to a run of seven losses in a row, Ireland led 3-1 after 26 minutes, but managed, somehow, to lose 4-3, the fifth time in eight games that they have lost by a single goal.
The self-destruct button has been hit so often in Perth that, as coach Riet Kuper admitted, it's a wonder it's still functioning.
Ukraine bore the look of a team, early on, with little interest in the tie, but each time they seemed out of the contest they were gifted goals that woke them from their slumber.
Ireland, though, started strongly, with Linda Caulfield, Ciara O'Brien and Lynsey McVicker in lively form, and Ukraine had already survived two Jenny Burke near misses, the second cleared off the line, by the time Arlene Boyles opened the scoring on 14 minutes from Ireland's first penalty corner of the game.
Within four minutes, though, the lead had been surrendered, with careless defending resulting in a corner that Tara Browne should have saved from Tetyana Kobzenko's tame shot on goal.
Boyles made it 2-1 - her fifth goal of the tournament - from another corner, and when Burke forced home the rebound from Claire McMahon's effort - only Ireland's second goal from open play in 560 minutes - there was a strong whiff of victory in the air.
From then? The scent faded, it was "avert your eyes" hockey. Another corner was needlessly conceded four minutes before the break and, again, Browne could have done better with Zhanna Savenko's direct strike on goal.
Three-two, then, Ireland led at half-time, when their advantage should have been so much more comfortable.
Angela Platt replaced Browne at the break, but was left helpless by her defence when Ukraine scored two goals in two minutes, the first by Svitlana Kolomiyets (42nd), the second by Natalya Vasyukova (44th) after Platt had saved Savenko's initial shot.
Ireland were justified in objecting to Kolomiyets' goal - it should have been a free out after O'Brien was stick-tackled - but, once again, they were the creators of their own downfall.
Three times in the closing stages, Ireland, pushing forward in search of an equaliser, were caught on the counter-attack, but, on each occasion, Platt got the better of advancing Ukrainian forwards in one-on-ones.
The equaliser almost came two minutes from time in what was Ireland's best move of the tournament, Eimear Cregan doing brilliantly on the right wing to set Lynsey McVicker free, McVicker whipping in an inch-perfect cross for Burke who met it first time only to see her shot fly inches wide of the left post.
"I'm not the happiest coach at this tournament, that's for sure," said Kuper after the game. "We just keep making mistakes where we can least afford to make them, the technical part of defending is just not there in Irish hockey.
"A loss like this is hard to take, the win was there for us, we should have done it. I feel for the players, they are devastated.
"But they are really amazing people, they keep picking themselves up after every knock, they desperately want to win a game at this tournament and they will try again against Russia. I can never doubt their spirit."
When asked about her own future, Kuper said: "I am not a person who gives up, if it goes very badly you just keep trying. There are people here from the Irish Hockey Association (IHA) so they can see what's happening - whether they will be sympathetic I just don't know.
"I have been Irish coach for four and a half years but have done less, coaching wise, in that time than I would do in a year in Holland - that has to change, a lot has to change in Irish hockey."
And, with that, Kuper departed the scene. Whether she departs the Irish hockey scene after today's game against Russia is down to the powers-that-be in the IHA.
Crumbs of comfort? Holland, England, Japan, the USA and South Africa all won their cross-over games yesterday, at least proving that Ireland's pool was the stronger of the two.
England trailed 2-1 at half-time, but, remarkably, put six past the Germans in the second half.
Argentina and Holland will meet in the final after beating Australia and China, respectively.
IRELAND: T Browne, L Caulfield, A Boyles, D Sixsmith, K Maybin, C O'Brien, R Kohler (capt), J Orbinson, L Lee, J Burke, L McVicker. Subs: A Platt, K Humphreys, C McMahon, E Cregan, C Murray (all used).
WORLD CUP (at Perth): Semi-finals: Argentina 1, Australia 0; Holland 1, China 0. Fifth-eighth: England 7, Germany 2; Korea 2, Spain 0. Ninth-12th: Japan 3, Scotland 0; New Zealand 0, USA 1, after extra-time. Thirteenth-16th: South Africa 4, Russia 1; Ireland 3 (A Boyles 2, J Burke), Ukraine 4 (T Kobzenko, Z Savenko, S Kolomiyets, N Vasyukova).
TODAY: Fifth-sixth: England v Korea, 7.35. Seventh-eighth: Germany v Spain, 5.05. Ninth-10th: USA v Japan, 2.35. Eleventh-12th: Scotland v New Zealand, 12.05. Thirteeth-14th: South Africa v Ukraine, 9.45 am. Fifteenth-16th: Ireland v Russia, 9.05 am.
TOMORROW - Final: Argentina v Holland, 12.35. Third-fourth: Australia v China, 10.05.
