The 9-12 classification game was the closest match Ireland played (so far) in Tokyo, and one that got away.
Thursday: Ireland 9, Argentina 10
Argentina scored inside a minute through Gretta María White and Ireland spent the rest of the afternoon chasing. Brigid Welch levelled from a free position at 12:28, Ava Ryan matched Argentina again at 9:32, and Grace McHugh made it 3-3 from an Ava Connaughton assist with four minutes left in the quarter. Argentina still led 4-3 at the break after Eva Richter finished with twelve seconds on the clock.
The second quarter was where the gap opened. Argentina scored three in just over three minutes to lead 7-3, and Ireland called time out. What followed was the character of the game. McHugh scored again from Connaughton at 8:55. Connaughton finished a Katrina Dowd assist with 1:42 left. Ireland went in 5-7 down having taken back most of what they had lost.
They kept coming in the third. Ryan cut it to 6-7 within a minute of the restart from another Connaughton feed. Katrina Dowd scored at 8:17 to make it 7-8. Then, with 1:05 on the clock, Ryan converted a free position to level the game at 8-8 heading into the final quarter.
Argentina found the answer first. Richter converted a free position at 13:09 and Melina Sarlo added a second at 11:14 from an Emilia Diliberto assist to put Argentina 10-8 up. McHugh pulled one back from a free position with five minutes left, and Joey Degl won the ensuing draw, but Ireland could not find the equaliser.
Ireland shot 9 from 16, a tournament-best 56.3 per cent, and turned the ball over only nine times, their cleanest possession game of the week. Stella Quilty made five saves after taking over in goal from the second quarter. McHugh and Ryan finished with three goals each. Connaughton had a goal and three assists.
The difference was the draw circle, where Ireland won only 9 of 23 after dominating that area for much of the group stage. Nine minutes in penalties, including a yellow-red card in the closing seconds, did not help either.