Ireland suffer 2-1 defeat against Japan in third game of four-match series

Ireland 1-2 Japan

Ireland's women look set for a rousing send-off on Thursday evening at Belfield in their final warm-up fixture of the SoftCo Series, closing out a four-game run against Japan.

The visiting Japanese side edged out the Green Army on Wednesday evening with Shihori Oikawa’s penalty corner and a late Mai Toriyama finish outdoing Katie McKee’s neat finish.

It played out in front of a healthy home crowd, a far cry from the final preparations for the now famous 2018 World Cup edition.

Back then, Ireland played their final warm-up games - also against Japan - at the Mardyke with scarcely 40 people in attendance but this week has seen the UCD grandstand fill and it looks likely to hit full capacity.

"It’s chalk and cheese," said captain Katie Mullan. "A lot more people know we are going to a World Cup this time!

"I remember getting on the plane then and being asked if we were going to play in a rugby tournament.

"It’s fantastic to have a home crowd before we head away and it does get a buzz going, especially the number of the kids on the sideline."

In terms of Wednesday's outcome, Ireland were not able to build on last Sunday’s win over the Asian champions when they ended Japan’s 14-game winning streak.

The Green Army made the opening waves, winning a couple of corners and McKee almost forced home from close range.

Oikawa, however, caught them cold from their second penalty corner, clipping into the bottom left corner for 1-0.

McKee - who will make her formal debut in Amsterdam - snatched a great equaliser from Naomi Carroll’s cross, controlling and flicking home.

But the game was settled seven minutes from time via an incisive right wing move, squaring for Toriyama to flick in from close range.

"We are not as happy with our