MIC Limerick 3-9
UCD 1-8
By Daire Walsh
Player of the match Lydia McDonagh struck a brace of second half goals at Queen’s University on Saturday as MIC Limerick claimed their fourth AIG Giles Cup title with an excellent final victory over UCD.
In a fast-paced opening to the contest, UCD full-forward Meadbh Monaghan traded an early point with her opposite number – current Kerry panellist Rachel Dwyer. The latter went on to add a second point in response to a free from Ella Parke, before UCD, who had defeated DCU at the semi-final stage of the competition on Friday, created some daylight with back-to-back scores from midfielder Sarah Mulroy and Parke.
Yet MIC subsequently settled into the stride and edged in front for the first time courtesy of three points in succession by Caoimhe McNamara, Laura Griffey and Dwyer (free). Southern Gaels attacker Dwyer was proving to be a thorn in the side of the UCD defence and she burst through for a superb goal on the stroke of 20 minutes.
This came as a blow to their south Dublin counterparts, but even though Ella Thompson found the target for MIC, three points from the reliable Parke – including two efforts from play – left UCD just two in arrears at 1-6 to 0-7 at the interval.
While Sara Doyle split the uprights within 60 seconds of the restart to reduce the gap to the bare minimum, MIC Limerick clinically re-established their authority when centre-forward McDonagh from the Naomh Aban club in Cork fired to the net on 32 minutes. Although this appeared to be a major set-back for UCD, Ian Kealy’s charges immediately responded with a goal of their own from Ballyboden St Enda’s footballer Karrie Rudden.
It looked to be anyone’s game to win at this stage, but thanks to quickfire efforts from substitute Sarah Ryan and McDonagh, MIC, who overcame the challenge of Maynooth University in the last-four, brought a three-point advantage into the final-quarter and ultimately pushed on for victory.
After Erin Murray moved them even further in front with an excellent score at a right-hand angle, the final outcome was placed beyond all doubt when McDonagh bagged her second goal at the end of a lung-bursting run in the 54th minute.
Scorers – MIC Limerick: L McDonagh 2-1, R Dwyer 1-3 (0-1f), S Ryan, E Thompson, E Murray, L Griffey, C McNamara 0-1 each.
UCD: E Parke 0-5 (2f), K Rudden 1-0, S Mulroy, S Doyle, M Monaghan 0-1 each.
MIC Limerick: D Creed; E Hickey, I Claffey, N Dunne; S English, A Dillane, M MacNamara; E Murray, N Towey; E Thompson, L McDonagh, A Ryan; C McNamara, R Dwyer, L Griffey. Subs: R Hyland for Dunne (h-t), S Ryan for Griffey (36), A Brazil for English (51), C Hynes for Towey (60), K Donoghue for C McNamara (62).
UCD: A Dunlea; K McCaffrey, S Lally, B Cotter; C Crowley, C Lawlor, L Dunne; E Reape, S Mulroy; A Walls, K Rudden, S Doyle; A Madden, M Monaghan, E Parke. Subs: S Hamilton for Monaghan (38), KA Walsh for Reape (41), C Kennedy for Cotter (43), O Keon for Parke (53), L Bourke for Mulroy (56).
Referee: Shane Curley (Galway).
MTU Cork 3-10
UCD 0-6
By Daire Walsh
Shannon Morrissey scored goals in either half at Queen’s University on Saturday afternoon as MTU Cork sealed the AIG Lynch Cup with a convincing final triumph at the expense of UCD 2.
Playing a little over 30 minutes after the college’s first team lost out to MIC Limerick in the AIG Giles Cup decider at the same venue, UCD created a number of scoring opportunities during the early stages of this contest. A Lauren Shanagher goal chance drifted agonisingly wide of the mark, but when MTU Cork wing-forward Morrissey was picked out close to the target in the fifth minute, she fired home with considerable aplomb.
This increased the confidence levels of the Leesiders, who proceeded to move seven points clear courtesy of 0-2 salvos from inside forwards Maeve Daly and Ava Looney. Yet UCD persevered with their challenge as the action wore on and Roscommon’s Shanagher finally opened their account with a point on 17 minutes.
Meath duo Lauren Woods and Katie Bermingham also raised white flags and while Katie O’Driscoll knocked over a close-range free at the opposite end, UCD wing-back Hannah Crowley kicked a fine point deep into stoppage-time to ensure MTU Cork’s interval cushion stood at 1-5 to 0-4.
This was far from being an insurmountable deficit for the Dublin college, but their Munster counterparts created a powerful platform for victory with a bright start to the second half. After Looney converted her third free of the action, Morrissey secured her second goal of the game when she coolly slotted a 36th minute penalty to the back of the UCD net.
The sin-binning of Bermingham moments later left UCD with a temporary numerical deficiency during a difficult period in the tie and while Shanagher kicked their first point of the second half, MTU Cork, who lost last year’s final to neighbours UCC, moved into an unassailable position when O’Driscoll fired home their third goal on 43 minutes in between points from Daly and Looney.
Waterford native Daly and Shanagher traded scores inside the closing-quarter before MTU’s Aoife Cummins added her name to the scoresheet and even though Daly dragged a penalty past the posts at the very end of normal time, the Cork side ultimately eased their way over the line.
Scorers – MTU Cork: S Morrissey 2-0 (1-0 pen), A Looney 0-4 (4f), M Daly 0-4, K O’Driscoll 1-1 (0-1f), A Cummins 0-1.
UCD: L Shanagher 0-3 (1f), K Bermingham 0-1 (f), H Crowley, L Woods 0-1 each.
MTU Cork: M Murphy; S Callanan, M Burke, M Collins; C Brosnahan, R Evans, E Moore; A Cummins, K O’Driscoll; L Quane, K McGlashan, S Morrissey; M Daly, A Looney, R Shanley. Subs: C McTaggart for Quane (24), E Maguire for Collins, I Maher for Morrissey (both 50), E Boland for Looney (54), M Fitzpatrick for O’Driscoll (57).
UCD: G Glavin; R McKenna, S Murphy, R Bell; H Crowley, O Devlin, S Cunningham; M Brady, K Bermingham; S Milne, L Woods, L White; L Shanagher, A Briscoe, C Ni Nuallain. Subs: L Corbally for Milne (h-t), S Gorman for Ni Nuallain (54), L Cronin for Brady (57), I Liu-Lyons for Briscoe (58), J Clancy for Bell (62).
Referee: Sinead McHugh (Donegal).
DCU Dóchas Éireann 2-11
UCC 1-9
By Daire Walsh
Meath star Emma Duggan amassed an impressive personal tally of 1-5 at Queen’s University in Belfast on Saturday as DCU Dóchas Éireann claimed their third consecutive AIG O’Connor Cup crown with a five-point victory over UCC.
In a repeat of last year’s decider, Emily Lacey edged UCC in front with a fourth-minute free. The Laois attacker also curled over a point from play in response to a similar effort by Leah Fox at the far end of the pitch, but DCU DÉ (who are managed by Lacey’s inter-county boss Stephen Duff) kicked into life when wing-forward Clodagh Lohan poked the ball to the net from close range on nine minutes.
UCC kept themselves in contention thanks to Emma Morrissey and Lacey trading points with Kildare defender Ruth Sargent and team captain Duggan, before the latter kicked a fine score from play just past the first-quarter mark.
DCU DÉ’s Maria Cannon and Morrissey proceeded to swapped points, in advance of Duggan’s speculative effort on 26 minutes slipping through the fingertips of opposite netminder Caoimhe Richmond for the title holders’ second goal of the action.
While this was a set-back for Joe Carroll’s outfit, Leah Hallihan and Lacey kicked further points to leave DCU DÉ just four to the good (2-5 to 0-7) at half-time.
It was an initially tentative start to the second half, but DCU DÉ eventually increased their lead when the multi-talented Kate Kenny, player of the match in the 2023 decider, swung over a point off her trusty left boot on 37 minutes. Yet UCC were certainly not out of the reckoning and when Morrissey gathered the ball close to goal moments after Kenny’s point, she rattled the net with clinical precision to bring fresh life to the game.
Although DCU DÉ settled again with a point from two-time TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship winner Duggan, the industrious McMaugh squeezed a shot over the bar in the 47th minute to keep alive UCC’s dreams of securing a first O’Connor Cup success since 2012.
Yet Waterford star McMaugh soon found herself in the sin bin and in her absence DCU DÉ tagged on points through substitute Aisling Hanly and Duggan. UCC did remain in the hunt with another successful Morrissey free, but DCU DÉ ultimately replicated the college’s three in-a-row team of 2009-2011 with the help of late points from the excellent Duggan and Lohan.
Scorers – DCU Dóchas Éireann: E Duggan 1-5 (0-2f), C Lohan 1-1, R Sargent, M Cannon, L Fox, K Kenny, A Hanly 0-1 each.
UCC: E Morrissey 1-3 (0-3f), E Lacey 0-4 (1f), B McMaugh, L Hallihan 0-1 each.
DCU Dóchas Éireann: R Murray; N Donlon, L Lenehan, C Durkan; S Reynolds, R Sargent, C Charters; K Owens, H McGinnis; C Lohan, E Duggan, M Cannon; L Fox, K Kenny, F McLaughlin. Subs: A Cullen for Owens, A Hanly for Fox (both 46), J Mortimer for McGinnis (55), J Lyons for Cannon (57).
UCC: C Richmond; D Kiniry, E Power, R Sheehan; A Corcoran, R Corkery, R Ennis; A Healy, A Harrington; A O’Neill, B McMaugh, E Lacey; L Hallihan, E Morrissey, A Ring. Subs: S McGoldrick for Harrington (41), J Gill for Ring, E Twomey for O’Neill (both 55), K Redmond for Ennis, A McDonagh for Corkery (both 60).
Referee: Eddie Cuthbert (Laois).
