Declan Rooney reports from Abbotstown
University College Dublin 2-7
University College Cork 1-9
ANDREA MURPHY’S GOAL two minutes from time sent UCD into the Gourmet Food Parlour O’Connor Cup final for the first time since their victorious 2016 campaign, after an exciting semi-final at a wind-swept Abbotstown.
Three-time champions UCC looked set to reach the decider when Niamh Cotter’s goal 11 minutes after the restart put them four points clear, but substitute Chloe Foxe hit the net for UCD to give them hope and Murphy finished the job as the clock neared 60 minutes.
With a crossfield wind slightly favouring UCD in the first half, they were happy to open the scoring in the fourth minute when Westmeath’s Lucy McCartan tamed the conditions and pointed via the post.
Galway senior Áine McDonagh showed how difficult scoring was when her free from 25 metres dropped short, but her side’s chances were boosted when UCC defender Shauna Cronin was sin-binned after 10 minutes. But UCD couldn’t capitalise and instead Cork star Libby Coppinger got UCC off the mark after 18 minutes.
Cronin returned and McDonagh converted a tough free from the right straight after Coppinger’s point, before doubling her tally after 20 minutes to put UCD 0-3 to 0-1 ahead.
Ciara McCarthy had a tough opening in front of goal, but she pointed from the left into the wind eight minutes from the interval – and the former Cork All-Ireland Minor A medallist would finish with three points for her team.
She had a great goal chance two minutes from the break but she was dispossessed and Tarah O’Sullivan’s point just before half-time put UCD 0-4 to 0-2 ahead at half-time.
UCC were the dominant side in the second period and after Hannah Looney and Orlagh Farmer efforts dropped short, McCarthy scored before Cotter levelled matters in the 33rd minute.
Coppinger gave UCC the lead for the first time three minutes later, with Cotter doing some great work in the build-up, and it was midfielder Cotter who hit the net for UCC when she ran on to McCarthy’s handpass over the top to make it 1-6 to 0-5.
Dearbhaile Beirne put a goal between the sides before Foxe goaled on the turn to level matters again. But with Tarah O’Sullivan in the sin bin and the UCC defence performing strongly, the Cork students pulled clear when Tipperary’s Caoimhe Condon and Cork’s Farmer pointed following patient attacks.
But UCD gave it one last go and a quick free from McDonagh gave Murphy the chance. Her low finish sealed victory for Conor Barry’s side.
Scorers for UCD: A McDonagh 0-4 (3f), A Murphy and C Foxe 1-0 each, T O’Sullivan, L McCartan and D Beirne 0-1 each.
Scorers for UCC: N Cotter 1-1, L Coppinger and C McCarthy 0-3 each, O Farmer and C Condon 0-1 each.
UCD
L Bruggner (Kerry)
K McGrath (Waterford)
S Gormally (Galway)
R Flynn (Mayo)
N Carr (Donegal)
N Collins (Dublin)
M Byrne (Dublin)
M Lambe (Dublin)
T O’Sullivan (Dublin)
A Murphy (Kerry)
A McDonagh (Galway)
L McCartan (Westmeath)
C Mohan (Monaghan)
D Beirne (Leitrim)
K Boyce Jordan (Westmeath)
Subs:
C Foxe (Wexford) for Mohan (29)
A O’Reilly (Kerry) for Boyce Jordan (51)
UCC
M O’Sullivan (Cork)
R Casey (Waterford)
E Meaney (Cork)
S Cronin (Cork)
B Condon (Tipperary)
M Dunford (Waterford)
M Corkery (Cork)
N Cotter (Cork)
O Farmer (Cork)
C Condon (Tipperary)
H Looney (Cork)
E Spillane (Cork)
L Coppinger (Cork)
C McCarthy (Cork)
S O’Leary (Cork)
Subs:
L Dillon (Tipperary) for Spillane (48)
H Ryan (Cork) for Looney (48)
Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo)
***
University of Limerick 7-16
Queens University Belfast 2-9
Tipperary star Roisín Howard hit a hat-trick and Kerry’s Hannah O’Donoghue added two more goals to help University of Limerick into their sixth straight Gourmet Food Parlour O’Connor Cup final and past a determined challenge of Queens University.
Captain Eimear Scally was also to the fore for the 2018 runners-up with 1-9, as her side pulled clear in a dominant second-half to set up a repeat of the 2016 final with UCD, which takes place tomorrow at Grangegorman at 4pm.
The game was only three minutes old when Galway senior Louise Ward burst through the Queens defence and hit the roof of the net for the game’s first score.
Queens had the advantage of the wind in that first-half and soon settled when Niamh Reel kicked a free and Eimear McAnespie fisted a point soon after.
But UL were sharp and in Cork attacker Scally they had the game’s most dangerous player. She pointed a free after 13 minutes when Hannah O’Donoghue was fouled, kicked a great score from play a minute later and then scored her third point in as many minutes to put her side 1-3 to 0-2 ahead.
Sarah Britton was on song at the other end too though, and her direct running brought a score for Queens, but UL hit back with two in a row, with Cork duo Shauna Kelly and Scally on target.
Queens were five points behind at that point but they were thrown a lifeline in the 21stminute when Laoise Duffy intercepted Caoimhe Moore’s kick-out, passed to Grainne McLaughlin and the Antrim player hit the net with a great finish. A Reel point cut UL’s lead to the bare minimum straight away, but from there to the interval UL bossed affairs.
Shauna Howley and Howard hit points for UL to give them a six-point cushion, but Howard finished off a flowing move to the net in the 30th minute and then added her second goal two-and-a-half minutes later to put UL 3-8 to 1-5 ahead at the interval.
Queens looked to cut that lead straight after the restart but Slaine McCarroll’s effort hit the crossbar and then the post before it bounced safe. Instead, Rebecca Delee, the 2018 TG4 All-Ireland Junior Final Player of the Match, pushed UL further ahead with a fisted score, before O’Donoghue struck UL’s fourth goal, which sunk Queens’s hopes in the 32nd minute.
They did respond when Reel struck a brilliant goal two minutes later, but there was no stopping UL. Scally kicked back-to-back frees and then she got on the end of a loose Queens kick-out and finished to the net for a 5-12 to 2-6 lead.
O’Donoghue scored her second goal seven minutes from the end and Howard completed her hat-trick two minutes later as UL pulled clear in a dominant final quarter.
Scorers for UL: E Scally 1-9 (6f), R Howard 3-1, H O’Donoghue 2-0, L Ward 1-0, S Kelly, S Howley, L Ryan, R Delee, F McHale and O O’Dwyer 0-1 each.
Scorers for Queens: N Reel 1-3 (1f), G McLaughlin 1-0, S Britton and E McAnespie 0-2 each, L Duffy and S McCarroll 0-1 each.
UL
C Moore (Cork)
S Molloy (Galway)
C McGrath (Waterford)
A Kelleher (Cork)
L Ward (Galway)
L Ryan (Clare)
J Cregg (Roscommon)
S Kelly (Cork)
F McHale (Mayo)
R Delee (Limerick)
E Needham (Mayo)
S Howley (Mayo)
H O’Donoghue (Kerry)
E Scally (Cork)
R Howard (Tipperary)
Subs:
E Fitzpatrick (Tipperary) for Needham (40)
F Tagney (Kerry) for Howley (40)
O O’Dwyer (Tipperary) for Cregg (46)
S Murphy (Kerry) for Scally (50)
A Healy (Laois) for McGrath (50)
Queens
J Curran (Antrim)
K White (Down)
C McCambridge (Armagh)
A McConnell (Tyrone)
O Lavery (Down)
S McCarroll (Tyrone)
C McGill (Armagh)
N Coleman (Armagh)
A McHugh (Tyrone)
L Duffy (Down)
N Reel (Armagh)
E McAnespie (Monaghan)
O Duffy (Down)
G McLaughlin (Antrim)
S Britton (Fermanagh)
Subs:
A McDonald (Tyrone) for McGill (HT)
C Stewart (Antrim) for McConnell (42)
N McIntosh (Antrim) for Lavery (42)
M McCreanor (Down) for McLaughlin (42)
M Kavanagh (Down) for Britton (53)
V Boyd (Down) for Duffy (59)
Referee: Niall McCormack (Laois)
Andy Dunne joins Murray Kinsella and Ryan Bailey to discuss Joe Schmidt’s undroppables and how France might attack Ireland’s predictability in The42 Rugby Weekly.
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