The Luxembourg Hockey Club women's team kicked off their EuroHockey Club Challenge I 2025 campaign on Friday 18 April, with a high-intensity match against SUMDPU, representing Ukraine.

Friday's match was a tightly contested battle from start to finish. The Luxembourg side came out strong, dominating possession throughout the first half and creating numerous chances in the Ukrainian circle.

Despite their offensive pressure and sharp passing, they were unable to convert and headed into halftime without a goal to show for their efforts.

The breakthrough unfortunately came for the opposition. Ukraine opened the scoring with a penalty stroke, and in the closing minutes, as Luxembourg was playing with only 10 players following a yellow card to Camila Pandolfi, Ukraine capitalized again to score a second goal just two minutes before the final whistle.

The 2–0 loss left a bitter taste for the Luxembourg players, who felt the result didn’t reflect the balance of the match. Several controversial decisions from the officials also added to their frustration – including a penalty stroke not awarded when goalkeeper contact brought down Elena Castagnino alone in front of the goal in a clear scoring opportunity.

Despite the disappointment, the team remains united and focused. They returned to the pitch on Sunday, April 20, to face the local host team, with renewed determination to show their true potential.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that the LHC ladies are competing in this European tournament. The team already holds great memories of the competition, particularly from their trip to Turkey in 2022, where Valentina Toquier was awarded Best Player of the Tournament.