EY Hockey League wrap: Title race goes to final day after dramatic Pembroke loss

Catholic Institute ensured the EY Hockey League title race will go down to the final day after a superb 4-1 win over Pembroke Wanderers on Saturday, just the leaders’ second defeat all season and their first in 13 games.

Pembroke had travelled to Limerick needing just a point to seal the title, but their defeat has narrowed their lead over Institute to two points with just one game to go.

It was Institute’s eighth win in a row at Rosbrien in this campaign, after drawing their season opener against UCD, their first goal coming after eight minutes when Naomi Carroll expertly played Laura Foley through on the right of the circle, her cross turned in to her own goal by Ella Pasley.

Hannah Kelly made it 2-0 in the second quarter with a cracking reverse strike, only the second time this season that Pembroke conceded more than one goal in a league game. But they shipped two more in the second half after their captain Gillian Pinder had pulled a goal back before the break.

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Roisin Upton brought her season's tally to 12 when she scored in the third quarter, and she then set up Foley for her team's fourth in the final period, reversing the same scoreline in their defeat away to Pembroke back in November.

Pegasus (on 33 points) are now the only side that can catch Institute, their 11-0 trouncing of already-relegated Cork Harlequins keeping them within two points of second place. Loreto’s 2-0 win over Muckross lifted them up to fourth, on 31 points, and with a final game against Cork Harlequins, they look set to seal a top six finish and a place in the play-offs for the Champions Trophy semi-finals.

Below them are Old Alexandra (31), UCD (29) and Railway Union (28), all of them in contention for a top six placing on the final day.

Belfast Harlequins were beaten at home by Railway but are still two points clear of Muckross in the fight against relegation. Both sides couldn’t have trickier ties next Saturday - Harlequins are at home to Institute, Muckross away to Pembroke.

Hockey League, Division One - Saturday: Belfast Harlequins 1 (N Lyttle), Railway Union 4 (E Smyth 2, A Long, Z Delaney); Catholic Institute 4 (L Foley 2, H Kelly, R Upton), Pembroke Wanderers 1 (G Pinder); Muckross 0, Loreto 2 (C Hamill, H Matthews); Pegasus 11 (A Speers 4, N McIvor 3, L McKee 2, L Paul, E Armstrong), Cork Harlequins 0; UCD 2 (S McAuley, K Egan), Old Alexandra 0.