Switzerland and Ireland were the opponents in the first round of the tournament. After an emphatic 7-1 win over Switzerland, a win over Ireland was essential to secure a place in the top 12. The red-white-red team lost 0:3 against a strong Irish team. “We had a good game plan against Ireland. Ireland were very consistent in defense and we couldn’t score. “Losing the game against Ireland and not being in the top 12 is definitely disappointing for us,” starting pitcher Martina Lackner-Kail analyzed the loss against Ireland.

Austria lost in the final match for 13th place

Team Austria had to play seven matches in the fight for 13th place. Head coach Gabriela Gonzalez’s team was dominant in almost every game but could not make it to 13th place in the end. Everything went according to plan at the start of the second phase of the tournament. Belgium beat 8:4, followed by a clear 15:0 against Turkey and Austria won against Ukraine 7:6 after a struggling and temporary defeat. The Austrian selection also played the next two matches successfully. They won 17-0 against Finland and 12-2 against Denmark. They lost 0:3 in the expected “last match” for 13th place against Croatia, who had won all five games up to that point. 15:2 win in the last match of the European Championship against Malta to secure 14th place.

All Team Austria results at a glance

Tournament Stage 1:
Austria – Switzerland 7:1
Austria – Ireland: 0:3

Tournament Phase 2:
Austria – Belgium 8:4
Austria – Turkey 15:0
Austria – Ukraine 7:6
Austria – Finland 17:0
Austria – Denmark 12:2
Austria – Croatia 0:3
Austria – Malta 15:2