A GOAL in each half enabled Garda College to lift the inaugural LSCAI Challenge Cup after they proved too strong for Inchicore at Dublin City University yesterday.
The Dublin side battled well, and particularly so in the second half, but Garda, with their front running pair of Ursula Hannon and Irish panellist Julia Kavanagh, always looked the more dangerous.
Louise Lynch pulled the strings at midfield and in the first half they unlocked the Inchicore defence at will. In the opening minutes, Hannon and Kavanagh spurned several opportunities, while Laura Bolger shot across an empty goal with Kristen Anderson committed after 35 minutes.
The opening goal, just before the break, had a touch of good fortune about it, but was probably no more than the winners deserved. Lynch stepped up for a free about 25 metres out, and while Anderson read the flight correctly, the velocity of the shot took her back over her own line.
Inchicore played better after the break and Elaine Goddard caused several problems down the left wing. Siobhan Kane made a greater impact on midfield.
Garda copper-fastened their position when, in a breakaway move and against the run of play, Kavanagh out-paced the defence and rounded the goalkeeper to tap into an empty net. Inchicore's last chance evaporated after Kane's penalty, following a foul on Loughnane, hit the crossbar.
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