Lily Owsley believes England showed that they are serious contenders for the EuroHockey title after a brilliant 4-1 win over Germany at Lee Valley saw them top Pool B.
Sophie Bray got England going after just two minutes, before Alex Danson netted a hat-trick to set up a semi-final clash with Spain.
Bray’s goal from the first meaningful attack was a dream start for England before Danson doubled the lead a minute later.
England led 2-0 at half time but Germany found a way back into the match in the third quarter, when Kristina Hillmann’s flick found its way past Maddie Hinch.
But it was false hope for the Germans as Danson completed her hat-trick and Owsley says her side are in bullish mood ahead of the knock-out round.
“These kinds of tournaments are all about momentum and three wins out of three keeps that going,” she said.
“It didn’t matter how we played tonight, we weren’t going to let anyone take top spot away from us.
“We’ve come out here and proved we are a serious contender and we are here to try and win the gold. We don’t want to settle for second best.
“Alex is a hat-trick hero. You don’t see many in international hockey and all the goals were great goals. She’s a great player.
“We’re confident going into the semi-finals. We’ve built the momentum and we know they’re a good side. We won’t be complacent but we know we have a chance. The best team will win and hopefully it’ll be us.”
Scotland meanwhile secured an important three points as they saw off Italy 3-1 with goals from Leigh Fawcett, Becky Merchant and Kareena Marshall.
Next up for the Scots are clashes with Belgium and Poland, and Nikki Kidd is keen to ensure her side remain focused.
“It was an important win for us as we’re targeting a place in the top six,” said Kidd. “The win against Italy was obviously crucial; we’ve gone out and done that. We’re very happy.
“We need to put this game to bed, re-focus on the next game and go out and achieve our objective.”
© Sportsbeat 2015