HOCKEY / Leinster Senior Cup Finals/UCD 2 Railway Union 1:Their second Leinster Senior Cup triumph had eluded them since they won the competition for the first in 1955, but, yesterday, the students of UCD - coached by Tom O'Donoghue - finally bridged that gap by beating Railway Union 2-1 in a hugely entertaining final at Grange Road.
That outcome, though, seemed highly improbable after the opening spell of the game which was utterly dominated by Railway. UCD found themselves pinned back by incessant pressure, much of it generated by Sinéad Walsh in midfield and captain Ros Lynch and Sarah McMaster down the left wing.
That pressure was rewarded with three short corners in quick succession, two of which almost resulted in goals from Isobel Joyce, her first effort saved by Pamela Smithwick, her second, a deflected shot, cleared off the line.
Soon after Sinéad Dooley hit a shot just wide of Smithwick's goal, but it seemed only a matter of time before Railway would make the breakthrough.
UCD, though, held their nerve and slowly fought their way into the game, largely inspired by the ceaseless work of their captain and centre midfielder Jane Bourke, the composure of Christine Quinlan at the back and some gutsy defending by Niamh Herlihy.
When they won their first short corner of the game, in the 22nd minute, UCD sparked in to life, and were only denied the lead by Railway goalkeeper Jane Coyne who made a superb save from Elaine O'Neill, turning away a shot that was bound for the bottom left corner of the goal. Moments later Coyne made another smart save, blocking Sarah Gleeson's first-time shot from a cross.
UCD, then, finished the first half on top, and began the second by capping their revival with a goal. Gleeson, from a free hit, picked out Roisín Flinn on the right of the circle and the winger fired the ball to the roof of the net.
Time, then, for Railway to rally - which they did. A simply worked reply it was too, Dooley turning home McMaster's cross from the right 15 minutes into the second half. Game on.
In the Leinster League Railway have developed a habit of going a goal down to UCD before coming back to win, but yesterday it was the students who dug the deepest once the scores were levelled, simply taking the concession of the equaliser as their cue to raise their game.
In the closing stages Flinn almost turned home Bourke's shot from the right before her team forced two more short corners, the second of which, five minutes from time, produced the winning goal. Again the Flinn-Bourke combination did the trick, Bourke's beautifully struck shot turned home on the line by Flinn.
Meanwhile, Railway Union's Ciara O'Brien scored the consolation goal for Ireland in their 2-1 defeat by the United States in the four nations tournament in Argentina. Ireland went a goal down after just two minutes when Angie Loy scored, before Tiffany Snow doubled the lead in the 10th minute. O'Brien converted a stroke 11 minutes from time.
World champions Argentina are Ireland's next opponents (midnight tonight, Irish time), while the losers of the game between Germany and the United States will face Riet Kuper's team in tomorrow's third place play-off.
UCD: P Smithwick, N Herlihy, C Quinlan, M O'Connell, F Flinn, E O'Neill, J Bourke (capt), S Gleeson, R Flinn, F Bradish, E Horan. Subs: L Jacob, N Keogh, E Balbirnie, H Jenkinson, A Keating. Scorer: R Flinn (2).
RAILWAY UNION: J Coyne, M Van Duin, K Dillon, K Clarke, I Joyce, C Kenefick, S Walsh, S McMaster, S Dooley, E Smyth, R Lynch (capt). Subs: B Maguire, J McDonnell, L McDermott, S Doyle, G O'Flanagan. Scorer: S Dooley
Umpires: D Acheson and C Kelly.
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