Monday, February 10: There have been some major moves in the League tables following the weekend’s action as crunch time begins in both the Men’s and Women’s Divisions.
In the Women’s EYHL, Loreto and Railway Union stayed as they were in first and second respectively maintaining their five-point margin over each other following 2-0 wins over Pegasus and Ards respectively. Ulster Elks had a hugely significant win over Catholic Institute to cement their position in third. UCD rise to seventh place following a bonus point draw with Pembroke, whom they equaled on points but leapfrogged on goal difference. Old Alex came from behind to rescue a bonus point against winless UCC.
In the Men’s EYHL, Banbridge and Three Rock go first and second respectively over Lisnagarvey whose fixture was postponed and drop to third in the table. Banbridge had a 4-2 away win over Avoca with Three Rock Rovers picking up a dominant home win over winless UCD. Pembroke produced a comeback to secure an away win over Corinthian. And Monkstown beat YMCA 2-0 with both goals coming in the second half after a scoreless first half.
In the Men’s EYHL 2 Pool A, Cookstown had a massive win over Kilkenny while Railway Union and Cork C of I had to settle for a share of the spoils. Pool B saw Portrane win their third on the spin beating Instonians with Cork Harlequins getting the better of Clontarf.
In the Women’s EYHL 2 Portadown marched on with a win over Monkstown and Cork Harlequins got a win away to Greenfields in Pool A. Lurgan had a big win away to University of Galway and Corinthians edged a five-goal thriller in Cork over Ashton.
EYHL Women’s Division 1
Loreto made no mistake in their encounter with tricky side Pegasus. Sophie Maxwell scored the opener just seconds after coming onto the pitch to give Loreto an early lead in Quarter 1. Rachel Kelly doubled the current champions lead, grabbing her seventh goal of the season to bring her to joint second in the scoring charts. Loreto saw out their 2-0 lead to maintain their unbeaten record.
Railway Union added another win to their tally when they welcomed Ards to Park Avenue. Niamh Gowing gave the hosts the lead in the first quarter. Railway Union continued to apply pressure, but Ards’ keeper Naomi McKnight kept Ards within touching distance. Just seconds into the final quarter Katie Mullan produced a strong run into the circle and a precise shot into the bottom corner to secure victory for Railway.
Ulster Elks produced the performance of the weekend, beating Catholic Institute. The home side took the lead through Shannon McNellis, but Institute responded just three minutes later, equalising through Roisin Begley. A penalty stroke early in the second half gave Elks the opportunity to go in front again, with Gabriella Scott stepping forward and confidently find the back of the net.
A vital clash for both sides saw UCD and Pembroke Wanderers have to settle for a share of the spoils in Belfield Water. College’s Orla Young-Hughes gave the hosts the lead, but former UCD defender Emma Young levelled for Pembroke in the third quarter to force the shootout. UCD grabbed the bonus point, with Mikayla Power, Ali Griffin, and Lauren Moore all scoring, and Erika Gallager playing her part between the sticks to deny Pembroke. The two points sees UCD jump to seventh, ahead of Pembroke on goal difference and just a point behind Pegasus in the play-off spots.
Old Alex had to come from behind against Munster’s UCC to secure a draw. Neither side could find the back of the net until UCC’s Emma O’Sullivan eventually broke the deadlock in the 57th minutes. With time not on their side, Old Alex had to respond quickly, which they managed to do as Robyn Heatherington drew them level just six minutes later to force the shoot-out. A tense series of shoot-outs eventually went to sudden death, with Old Alex’s Aoife Taaffe scoring the decisive 1v1.
EYHL Men’s Division 1
With Lisnagarvey’s away game to Annadale postponed on Friday night, the door was left open for Banbridge and Three Rock to leapfrog their fellow league title hopefuls and apply the pressure, an opportunity that both sides duly took.
Three Rock Rovers began the weekend on Grange Road with a convincing win over bottom side UCD. The home side led in the first quarter through Ben Johnson, before Rex Dunlop added a second just a minute into Q2. A period of defensive resolve from UCD was eventually broken with the hosts netting three more times in the second half, a James Walker brace and Ben Ryder goal, to record a comfortable win.
Banbridge were on the road, visiting an Avoca side who sat in seventh at the start of the weekend. Bann started well, scoring twice in the opening quarter, but Avoca responded, narrowing the deficit to a single goal in Q2 from a Guy Sarratt penalty corner. Philip Brown cancelled the goal out in Q3, and Johnny McKee added a fourth to extend the lead to three. A late Sarratt goal gave the hosts a glimmer of hope, but didn’t materialise into points as Banbridge.
Monkstown picked up a potentially crucial win away to YMCA. The sides were locked at 0-0 going into half-time, with the visitors being denied from penalty corners by an excellent defensive performance from YM in set pieces. Monkstown did eventually break the deadlock when a Lee Cole drag flick was blocked down, Monkstown controlled the loose ball first and Jeremy Duncan through a pass across the goalmouth for Mark Gibbons to tap in. Just three minutes Duncan doubled Monkstown’s lead, latching on to testing ball across the circle that evaded everyone but him on the back post where he graciously flicked into an empty net, sealing the win for Town. The points bring Monkstown to within two points of YMCA in 2nd, with a game in hand.
In St Columba’s College, Pembroke produced a brilliant comeback to get the win against Corinthian. The home side took the lead early in Q2 through an Ian Stewart penalty corner. But Pembroke responded at the most opportune time, scoring through Alan Sothern to shift the momentum going into the break. Tevin Kok completed the turnaround, scoring in the 57th minute, lifting Pembroke into seventh in the table and extending the gap between them and the relegation zone.
Women’s EY Hockey League Division 2
In Pool A, newcomers Portadown again showed their strength as they beat Monkstown. The gam was goalless at half-time until Alyssa Somerville broke the deadlock in Q3. Portadown secured their victory with a second goal in the final quarter, Emily Adamson yet again getting on the scoresheet for the Ulster side. The win adds another five points to Portadown’s tally and puts them top of the table.
Cork Harlequins picked up they first win of the EYHL2 campaign as they beat Greenfields away from home. Quins had to wait until the second half to grab their first, with Alex Dale scoring less than a minute into the first half. Anne O’Farrell’s penalty corner goal gave the Munster side a more comfortable two goal cushion with just seconds remaining.
Ashton and Corinthian played out a five-goal epic in Cork, with COrinthian eventually coming away as 3-2 winners. Corinthian’s Sophie Maleady opened the scoring, but Ashton quickly responded through Emily O’Leary to draw level in Q1. Maleady restored Corinthian’s lead in Q2 before captain Isabelle Maleady made it 3-1. Ashton threatened a comeback when Kate Harvey narrowed the gap to a single goal in Q3, but Corinthian held firm to record their first win in the competition this season and go top of the group.
After a delayed start to their campaign, Lurgan kicked things off with a confident win over the University of Galway. Lurgan built up a gradual lead throughout the game with a Lydia McNeill brace, and goals from Charlene Stewart and Lauren Wright guiding the Ulster side to a 4-0 win.
Men’s EY Hockey League Division 2
Cookstown put on a show for their home supports as they scored an incredible 12 times against Kilkenny on Saturday. Hattricks for Jack Haycock and Ryan Millar, and braces for Edward Irwin and Greg Allen mean the Ulster side go top of Pool A with a sizeable positive goal difference now in their favour.
Railway Union and Cork C of I had to settle for a 1-1 drawing their encounter in Park Avenue with goals from Railway’s Mark English and C of I’s Rob Olden.
Portrane took control of Pool B with their home win over Instonians. The tight encounter saw Portrane take a two-goal lead through Ross Hetem and Chris Neville, but a Instonians’ stroke gave the visitors a lifeline in Q3. That lifeline soon evaporated, as Portrane’s Adrian Sweeny restored the two-goal cushion, giving Portrane a victory which means they remain unbeaten in the competition.
Cork Harlequins got their first result of the year against Clontarf in Harlequin Park. Julian Dale was the hero on the day, scoring late from a penalty corner to complete his brace and give Quins the lead after Clontarf had equalised in the final quarter.
