WHAT started as Eva Kordic stepping in to help her team has taken the Clonakilty teenager all the way to the international hockey stage.

Back in September 2021, during a club training session, Eva suffered a dislocated kneecap that left the joint sore and damaged.

Months later, when her Clonakilty Hockey Club team found themselves short a goalkeeper, she put her hand up.

Now 18, Eva hasn’t looked back.

‘I originally played in midfield and defence but then I had a bad fall and hurt my knee,’ Eva says, and she still has the scar to prove it.

‘My team was really stuck for a goalkeeper for a match and I really wanted to play because some time had passed since my injury.

‘I wasn’t able to run but I could still move, so my coach put me in goal and I absolutely loved it.’

Eva Kordic has caught the eye since she moved into goal. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

In April, Eva made her international debut for her home country, Croatia. She played in three games as the Croatia U19 girls’ team took part in the 2026 JIPHT (Jeugd Internationaal Paas Hockey Toernooi) tournament in The Netherlands that included the best teams in the world. 

Keeping two clean sheets in wins against Ireland and The Netherlands, Eva helped Croatia to a fourth-place finish.

‘It was my first time playing international,’ she says.

‘I was competing against absolutely amazing athletes. I am so grateful for the opportunity to experience that. Everything was faster, harder and better – and I loved it.’

It was extra special for Eva as it gave her the chance to line out for Croatia and strengthen her connection with her home country. Born in Vinkovci, a small city in the east, she was five when she moved with her family – dad Ivan, mom Marija and younger brother Lovro – to Calgary in Canada.

Just before she turned eight, they relocated to Clonakilty, which she has called home for the past ten years.

‘We moved for better opportunities and education,’ Eva explains.

It’s here that her hockey story began.

‘I started playing hockey when I was in fifth class in St Joseph’s Girls National School,’ Eva says, ‘because I used to see girls in my school play it.

‘It looked like so much fun and like such a beautiful game, which it definitely is.’

Eva was a natural. Blessed with balance and agility, having trained in ballet, dance and taekwondo, she transferred those skills to the hockey pitch.

‘It’s so much fun!’ she beams.

‘When I first started, I loved that it was a team sport – it helped me get closer to my teammates and develop my communication.’

Playing with her club Clonakilty and school Sacred Heart, Eva found her sport. Then came the knee injury that changed everything – a twist of fate that saw her move between the posts.

‘It was like I was born to be a goalkeeper,’ Eva smiles.

‘I have some kind of goalie instinct, as my family would say.’

Clonakilty's Eva Kordic, originally from Croatia, played in goal for the U-9 Croatia hockey team. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

She instantly felt at home in goal.

‘I developed this extra confidence once I put my gear on because I didn't feel like ordinary Eva anymore. I felt like the gear gave me an alter ego and I loved it,’ Eva says.

‘From goal, I can see the pitch better, so this helped my team because I could communicate more.

‘I love that I can dive, slide tackle and fall and it barely hurts. I get to throw myself around and it's normalised.’

Her strong form for club and school – Sacred Heart were Senior B Cup winners and Senior B League runners-up in 2025 – led to Croatia reaching out to Eva earlier this year to invite the Clonakilty teen into their squad.

‘At first, when I heard the news, I was absolutely shocked but extremely happy,’ she says.

‘I couldn't believe it was real until my first match. 

‘It felt like I was dreaming and I didn't want to wake up.’

Eva’s rise doesn’t surprise those who have helped her along the way.

‘She loves being a goalkeeper and possesses the qualities needed to be a great keeper. Eva is quick and agile with great reflexes,’ says Clonakilty Hockey Club U18 coach Julie O’Sullivan Nicholson.

‘As the last line of defence, she is fearless as a shot-stopper and has proven recently that she is calm in high-pressure situations like shuttles and is very difficult to beat.

‘She has a bright future ahead of her.’

Eva hopes this is just the beginning of her hockey career with Croatia, and will continue to work hard to show the impressive form that led to this moment. 

This talented shot-stopper is only getting started.