Dublin, November 25: This weekend saw the Men’s EY Hockey League reach its halfway point on Round 9, with the Women’s EY Hockey League at Round 10.
In the Women’s EY Hockey League, it was shootouts galore as Ulster Elks pulled off a miraculous comeback to force a draw and secure a bonus point against Loreto, Ards and Pegasus also played out a draw, with Ards getting the bonus point, and Old Alex fought back from 3 – 1 down to come away with the bonus point against UCD. Railway Union grabbed their fourth consecutive win with a comprehensive victory over Pembroke. And Catholic Institute’s visit to UCC was postponed due to Storm Bert.
In the Men’s EY Hockey League, Lisnagarvey retook top spot in the table as they beat Three Rock in Comber Road. Banbridge kept pace with the league leaders with their commanding victory over Corinthian. Avoca produced a statement win over UCD to jump up the table. Monkstown left it late but eventually secured all three points against a stubborn Annadale outfit. And YMCA eased past Pembroke to keep hold of fourth spot.
Women’s EY Hockey League
Ulster Elks pulled off a miraculous comeback on their trip to Loreto Beaufort. Loreto looked to be cruising to a 3-0 win thanks to an early goal from Rachel Kelly, and a brace from Siofra O’Brien. However, Elks had other ideas, turning the game around in just six minutes with goals from Anna Mollenhauer, Shannon McNellis, and a 69th minute goal from Zahra Lowry to level the game and force the shoot-out. Elks piled further woe onto Loreto, securing a 3-2 win in the shoot-out to take home the bonus point. Loreto have now dropped points in four of their last five games, giving other sides a crucial chance to make up further ground.
Catholic Institute will have to wait to try close the gap with Loreto. Had they picked up a win against UCC on Saturday, they would have been within three points of the current league leaders. However, the arrival of Storm Bert meant their game against UCC in the Mardyke will have to be played at a later date.
Old Alex had to come back from 3-1 down to eventually draw the game and come away with a bonus point against UCD. A Leah O’Shea brace and a goal from Orla Young-Hughes gave the student their commanding lead, with the Old Alex goal coming from Elena Neill. Two goals in quick succession from Isabella Dunlop and Allie Heatherington drew Old Alex level and took them to a shoot-out, which they eventually won.
Nothing could separate Ards and Pegasus yet again as the sides had to settle for another draw. Home side Ards took an early lead through who else but Zara Malseed, but Pegasus were level before half-time when Sophie Moffett found the net. Neither team could break the deadlock in the second half, resulting in the shoot-out. Alana Doyle produced the decisive moment when she converted her penalty shoot-out attempt to give Ards a 3-2 lead, and the bonus point.
Railway Union’s revival continued when they won the Dublin derby at Serpentine Avenue. A Lily Lloyd brace and Roisin Upton penalty corner saw Railway comfortably in the driving seat going into the final quarter. The win, Railway’s fourth in a row, sees them climb further up the table into third.
Loreto remain top of the table on 24pts, with Old Alex, Railway Union, and Catholic Institute now closer than ever on 18. Catholic Institute also have a game in hand, giving them the opportunity to retake second and close the gap at the top to just 3pts. Ulster Elks climb up one place to fifth on 15pts, and Pembroke drop down a spot to sixth on 14. The positions on the bottom four remain unchanged, as Pegasus remain in seventh on 13pts, UCD in eighth on 11pts, Ards in ninth on 10, and UCC in tenth on 6 points with a game in hand.
Men’s EY Hockey League
Undoubtedly the result of the weekend in the Men’s EYHL saw the leadership of the table change hands as Lisnagarvey beat Three Rock Rovers 3-1. An ideal outing for the home side saw them build a commanding 3-0 lead over Three Rock, with captain Andrew Williamson, Ben Nelson, and James Lorimer all finding the net. Luke Madeley eventually grabbed a goal for the visitors on the final whistle, but it wasn’t enough to influence the result. The game sees Lisnagarvey leapfrog Three Rock at the top of the table and opens up the title race enormously.
A hat-trick of converted penalty corners from Philip Brown saw Banbridge go three goals up against visiting Corinthians before the end of quarter 3. Fergus Gibson and Owen Magee also got on the scoresheet to secure a 5-1 victory for Banbridge as they continue their pursuit of the league leaders.
Avoca picked up a statement win on home turf against UCD. The college side proved tricky in the opening half, keeping the game relatively close at just 2-0 to the hosts, with Gavin Gibney and Guy Sarratt getting on the scoresheet. However, Avoca asserted themselves in the second half, scoring early through Ben Campbell, and eventually speeding away to a 6-0 win thanks to goals from Alex Derrien, a second from Guy Sarratt, and a late goal from Brad Venter, al in the closing ten minutes.
Despite the lion’s share of the chances in the opening half, Monkstown had to wait until the 64th minute to eventually grab the win over stubborn Annadale in Rathdown School. Lee Cole’s powerful drag flick was cancelled out when Spencer Pinion calmly converted his penalty stroke to draw the game level early in the final quarter. However, David Vincent was the hero on the day as he threw himself at a delivery from Geoff Cole to sneak the ball past Annadale goalkeeper Scott Dale at his near post, sealing the win.
YMCA visited Serpentine Avenue and came away with all three points following their 3-1 win over hosts Pembroke Wanderers. A Sam Hyland brace and goal from Sam O’Grady saw the visitors lead 3-0 with less than ten minutes to play. A late goal from Alan Sothern added another goal to his impressive tally but nothing more, as YMCA got the points.
Now at the halfway point, Lisnagarvey reclaim top spot with 24pts, as Three Rock drop to second on 23. Banbridge remain in pursuit in third on 21 points with a game in hand. YMCA maintain their place in fifth on 16, with Corinthian below them on 13 and a game in hand. Also with a game in hand is Monkstown, who remain in sixth on 12 points. Avoca jump to seventh spot, now on 8 points, and Pembroke drop down a spot to eighth with seven. Annadale and UCD remain the bottom two sides with 3pts and 2pts respectively, and a significant task on their hands to escape relegation.