EY League Round 1 Recap
Week 1 of top hockey has gotten underway with a full slate of action.
Here’s everything you need to know from Week 1:
MEN
YMCA V Banbridge 4-4
Goals (YMCA: A Walker, Scott Ruttle, Tevin Kok x2; Banbridge: Jonny McKee x3, Sam Farson)
Cookstown V Lisnagarvey 0-4
Goals (Lisnagarvey: A Williamson, M Aughey x2, O Kidd)
Annadale V Glenanne 1-2
Goals (Annadale: F Gibson; Glenanne: S O Donoghue x 2)
Three Rock Rovers V Instonians 4-3
Goals (TRR: P Lynch 2, A Empey, R Spence; Instonians: R Kelly, S Kelso, T Orr )
An even game the whole way through saw YMCA and Banbridge draw 4-4 in a goal filled fight to the end. The first quarter saw neither team able to find the net but with lots of pressure on both sides it was sure to be the start of an exciting fixture. Both goalkeepers made fine saves with Banbridge putting pressure on with the first couple of Penalty corners but it was Adam Walker whose drag flick finding the back of the goal that started the flurry of scores. The third quarter started 3-2 to YMCA but Banbridge held on and after a one v one with the keeper made it 3-3. Tevin Kok rounded off the final goal for YMCA and with minutes to spare David Finlay scored the last goal to keep it at a draw 4-4.
Lisnagarvey took the fixture against Cookstown by the hand from the 10th minute with a penalty corner hammered home by Andrew Williamson. Cookstown fought hard for the next 30 minutes but could not find the opposite goal and in the third quarter Garvey number 19 Oliver Kidd with a great touch made it 2-0. Matthew Aughey finished the match off with two goals in the 48th and 56th minute to see last years Champions first win in this new season.
Annadale faced Glenanne at Lagan in a close fixture where both sides showed their skills. A number of Penalty corners started the match off with Glenanne after a couple of attempts finding the back of the goal from Shane O Donoghue’s strike. Passions struck high with cards on both sides but no more scores in the first half. Passions continued high with O Donoghue converting a penatly stroke giving Glenanne a 0-2 lead which remained until the forth quarter. Annadale had some close chances for a goal but the Glenanne defence held strong until the 62nd minute when Fergus Gibson broke through for Annadale only goal of the match.
Three Rock Rovers won their opening game of the men’s EYHL season as they held off a big late comeback from Instonians to win 4-3. Ali Empey’s sixth minute volley gave Rovers an early lead when he latched onto Matteo Romoli’s long overhead ball down the middle. Peter Lynch – on his return to the club from UCD – notched the next two from close range before setting up Ryan Spencer for a 4-0 advantage in the third quarter. Inst got back in the mix when Ross Kelly scored a stroke with seven minutes left and Tommy Orr and Stephen Kelso both scored in the 67th minute to make it lively but Rovers held on for the points.
WOMEN
Catholic Institute V UCD 1-2
Goals (Catholic Institute: M Barrett; UCD: M Carey x 2)
Pegasus V Railway Union 0-0
Ards V Loreto 1-3
Goals (Ards: A Carson; Loreto: S Torrans, C Sherin, R Kelly)
Pembroke Wanderers V Belfast Harlequins 6-1
Goals (Pembroke Wanderers: C. Moroney, S. Campbell, E. Beatty, O. Macken, R. O’Brien, M. Fulton; Belfast Harlequins: J. Hong)
UCD travelled down to Limerick to face off against last years Irish Senior Cup winners Catholic Institute with the journey proving successful for them taking home a 1-2 win over Catholic Institute. With the first goal coming in the 9th minute, Michelle Carey knocking it in at the back post, the bar was set for a feisty fixture. Carey with a direct shot from the top of the circle made it 0-2 at the end of the first quarter. Another attempt by UCD was blocked and cleared by Laura Foley and then the second quarter became a possession match with no clear scoring opportunities for either team. The third quarter saw a great bit of play by Naomi Carrol saved but Michelle Barrett was in there to follow up the save and score Catholic Institutes opening goal of the season. The rest of the match saw a flurry of long and penatly corners, cards, frees and skills but with no more scores the match finished 1-2 to UCD.
A minutes silence to mark the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth started the season for Pegasus Hockey Club and Railway Union. A tight game between the two sides saw the match end 0-0, chances on both sides to break the score but strong defences saw off any challenges from the forwards.
The 2022-23 season sees Ards back in the top flight division after winning the EYHL 2 last season. They put up a fight in this first round of the EYHL but Loreto came out the stronger team in the end. Sarah Torrans taking the first goal from play in the first quarter and Caitlin Sherin making it 0-2 from a penalty corner in the second quarter. Rachel Kelly bagged the third goal for Loreto in the 36th minute from play but after a some strong play from Ards with one minute to go in Ally Carson found the back of the goal to make it 1-3 to Loreto.
Pembroke Wanderers, last seasons Champions, welcome Belfast Harlequins to Serperntine Road for the first round of the 2022-23 season. A strong first quarter for Pembroke saw them take the lead in the 3rd minute with a goal from play by Ciara Moroney. Sally Campbell scored the only goal in the second quarter taking it to 2-0 for Pembroke and then the goals kept coming. Two goals from play in two minutes saw Emily Beatty and Orla Macken, with a stellar backstick, join the score sheet. The final quarter saw a bit of tension with two green cards for Pembroke but then a goal by Rachel O Brien to settle things back down. Belfast Harlequins never gave up though and Jiwon Hong responded almost immediately to score the opening goal of the season for the Ulster club and with a final goal by Milla Fulton the final score was 6-1 to Pembroke. A strong start to the season.
