HOCKEY: A goal after nine minutes from Irish international Ciara O'Brien proved enough to give UCD a 1-0 victory over Trinity in the colours match at Belfield yesterday.
O'Brien, outstanding in midfield, fired into the goal after a short corner was switched into her path. UCD, for whom right winger Lucy Cotter and midfielder Catherine Murray were also in fine form, could have extended their lead from a flurry of corner opportunities but Barbara Sheehy-Skeffington in the Trinity goal denied them repeatedly.
Eimear Horan came close to finishing off a stylish UCD move but Sheehy-Skeffington was quick off her line to thwart her, before being alert to O'Brien's reverse stick effort which she padded away. The Trinity goalkeeper's finest moment came late in the first half when she saved Kathryn Little's close-range shot and then kept out Horan's strike from the rebound.
Trinity forced Orla McGuinness in the UCD goal into action on several occasions in the second half. McGuinness, with centre back Rachel Keegan imposing in front of her, got the better of Lynn Beck in a one-on-one soon after the break and then saved well from Aoife Budd.
Trinity pressed for an equaliser, with Lynn Jenkinson, Aoife Mitchell and Budd their chief driving forces, but UCD held out for a morale-boosting win ahead of Saturday's Irish Senior Cup third round tie against Coleraine.
COLOURS MATCHES (at Belfield): Firsts: UCD 1, Trinity 0. Seconds: UCD 0, Trinity 1. Thirds: UCD 1, Trinity 0. Fourths: UCD 1, Trinity 0. Fifths: UCD 1, Trinity 1.
UCD: O McGuinness, L O'Neill, K Fraser, R Keegan, A O'Connor, L Cotter, C Murray, C O'Brien, E Horan, K Little, H Maguire. Sub: B Sparkes.
TRINITY: B Sheehy-Skeffington, D Bolger, L Jenkinson, C Sparkes, S Rice, A Budd, A Mitchell, I Harbison, K Wallis, S Dunphy, C Griffin. Sub: L Beck.
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