MTU Cork 3-10
UCD 0-6
BY DAIRE WALSH
PLAYING a little over 30 minutes after the college’s first team lost out to MIC Limerick in the AIG Giles Cup decider at the same venue, UCD created a number of scoring opportunities during the early stages of this contest. A Lauren Shanagher goal chance drifted agonisingly wide of the mark, but when MTU Cork wing-forward Morrissey was picked out close to the target in the fifth minute, she fired home with considerable aplomb.
This increased the confidence levels of the Leesiders, who proceeded to move seven points clear courtesy of 0-2 salvos from inside forwards Maeve Daly and Ava Looney. Yet UCD persevered with their challenge as the action wore on and Roscommon’s Shanagher finally opened their account with a point on 17 minutes.
Meath duo Lauren Woods and Katie Bermingham also raised white flags and while Katie O’Driscoll knocked over a close-range free at the opposite end, UCD wing-back Hannah Crowley kicked a fine point deep into stoppage-time to ensure MTU Cork’s interval cushion stood at 1-5 to 0-4.
This was far from being an insurmountable deficit for the Dublin college, but their Munster counterparts created a powerful platform for victory with a bright start to the second half. After Looney converted her third free of the action, Morrissey secured her second goal of the game when she coolly slotted a 36th minute penalty to the back of the UCD net.
The sin-binning of Bermingham moments later left UCD with a temporary numerical deficiency during a difficult period in the tie and while Shanagher kicked their first point of the second half, MTU Cork, who lost last year’s final to neighbours UCC, moved into an unassailable position when O’Driscoll fired home their third goal on 43 minutes in between points from Daly and Looney.
Waterford native Daly and Shanagher traded scores inside the closing-quarter before MTU’s Aoife Cummins added her name to the scoresheet and even though Daly dragged a penalty past the posts at the very end of normal time, the Cork side ultimately eased their way over the line.
Scorers – MTU Cork: S Morrissey 2-0 (1-0 pen), A Looney 0-4 (4f), M Daly 0-4, K O’Driscoll 1-1 (0-1f), A Cummins 0-1.
UCD: L Shanagher 0-3 (1f), K Bermingham 0-1 (f), H Crowley, L Woods 0-1 each.
MTU Cork: M Murphy; S Callanan, M Burke, M Collins; C Brosnahan, R Evans, E Moore; A Cummins, K O’Driscoll; L Quane, K McGlashan, S Morrissey; M Daly, A Looney, R Shanley. Subs: C McTaggart for Quane (24), E Maguire for Collins, I Maher for Morrissey (both 50), E Boland for Looney (54), M Fitzpatrick for O’Driscoll (57).
UCD: G Glavin; R McKenna, S Murphy, R Bell; H Crowley, O Devlin, S Cunningham; M Brady, K Bermingham; S Milne, L Woods, L White; L Shanagher, A Briscoe, C Ni Nuallain. Subs: L Corbally for Milne (h-t), S Gorman for Ni Nuallain (54), L Cronin for Brady (57), I Liu-Lyons for Briscoe (58), J Clancy for Bell (62).
Referee: Sinead McHugh (Donegal).
Katie O’Driscoll of MTU is presented with the Player of the Match award by Ladies HEC Chairperson, Daniel Caldwell
MTU v UCD action at Queen’s
