EYHL Champions Trophy Semi Finals Match Reports

EYHL WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS TROPHY SEMI-FINAL

UCD – 3 CATHOLIC INSTITUTE – 0

Recently crowned EYHL Women’s Division champions UCD took on defending Irish Senior Cup holders and Finalists in 2023 Catholic Institute in the opening semi-final of the EYHL Women’s Champions Trophy at Havelock Park on Saturday.

In the first quarter chances were few and far between. Pamela Smithwick denied Lucy Crowe for UCD after a penalty corner and Rebecca Barry and Roisin O’Shea had shots that were narrowly off target in an otherwise uneventful opening quarter.
Catholic Institute had a penalty corner early in the second quarter which they failed to convert and the whole momentum seemed to shift completely to their opponents UCD who went 1-0 ahead in the 24th minute Katie-Jane Marshall converting a penalty corner. They increased their lead in the 32nd minute remaining in the first half when Sarah McAuley hit the backboards to make it 2-0 at the break.

Catholic Institute were more in the game during the third quarter enjoying periods of possession but their efforts from penalty corners successfully repelled by a UCD defence backstopped by goalkeeper Nora McGinty and directed by Katie Jane Marshall and Sarah McAuley. Even when temporarily reduced to 10 players when Grace Keane was yellow carded for 5 minutes , in the 50th minute, Insta could find no way through.

In the 66th minute following the breakdown of a Catholic Institute attack, UCD launched a swift counter-attack which culminated in Niamh Carey scoring from open play to secure a 3-0 win for UCD and place in tomorrow’s final.

UCD: Norah Mc Ginty ; Leah O’Shea , Grace Keane, Katherine Egan, Charlotte Cope, Caoimhe Byrne, Katie-Jane Marshall , Lucy Cope, Sophia Cole, Kate Ryan , Niamh Carey , Sarah McAuley , Hannah McLaughlin [capt.] Caro Theunisz , Eva Lavelle, Áine Naughton, Ali Griffin , Lisa Baldwin (GK)

CATHOLIC INSTITUTE: Pamela Smithwick-Hearne; Christine O’Shea , Roisín Upton [capt.], Roisín Begley, Aoife Hickey; Naomi Carroll , Leah Clery, aura Foley , Cliona Moloney , Clodagh Moloney , EImear Ryan , Michelle Barrett,, Anna Horan, Elizabeth Ryan, Rebecca Barry , Aoibheann Collins , Miriam O’Callaghan

LORETO – 3 OLD ALEXANDRA – 2

Loreto who won their way directly into the EY Champions Trophy semi-final by finishing second in the EYHL Women’s Division took on 3rd placed Old Alexandra in the second semi-final on Saturday. Old Alexandra secured their semi-final berth by defeating Pegasus 2-1 in last weekend’s quarter-final .

In a busy opening period Old Alexandra took the lead in the 6th minute through an Abbie Russell goal from open play. Loreto wasted no time getting back on level terms converting a penalty corner in the 10th minute through Nicola Torrans to make it 1-1. Old Alex took the lead with a
second goal of the game for Abbie Russell in the 17th minute and Loreto then equalised for the second time through Christina Hamill to leave the half-time score 2-2.

Síofra O’Brien scored in the 63rd minute to give Loreto the lead for the first time in the match Near the end Old Alex withdrew their goalkeeper in favour of another out field player in what ultimately proved an unsuccessful attempt to get back on terms it finished Loreto 3 Old Alexandra 2.

Loreto advance to meet UCD in tomorrow’s EYHL Women’s Champions Trophy Final.

LORETO: Lorna Bateman; Kate Crotty , Zoe Dunne, Lisa Mulcahy , Ella Pasley, Caitlin Sherin, Mia Jennings [capt.] Yasmin Pratt, Grace Donald, Grace McLoughlin Christina Hamill, Nicola Torrans , Sara Torrans, Aoife Taaffe, Rachel Kelly , Síofra O’Brien;

OLD ALEXANDRA: Holly Micklem, Emilie Ryan Doyle, Lena Tice, Jessica McGirr, Lindsay Power, Robyn Hetherington, Isabella Dunlop , Anna McCarthy, Abbie Russell , Deirdre Duke [C), Nicola Evans; Amy Giblin, Mykaela Power, Vanessa Winn, Allie Hetherington

EYHL MEN’S CHAMPIONS TROPHY SEMI-FINAL

BANBRIDGE – 4 GLENANNE – 3

Recently crowned EYHL Men’s Division champions took on Irish Senior Cup finalists Glenanne in a dress rehearsal for next week’s Blue Riband game at Havelock Park on Saturday afternoon. Going into this game both games could potentially have won an EYHL Champions Trophy and Irish Senior Cup double adding even more to the prize potential of EHL qualification from this particular match.

Banbridge took an early lead through Johnny McKee who finished off some good approach work on 5 minutes. Peter Brown added a second on 14 minutes and Louis Rowe made it 3-0 to Banbridge in the 18th minute. Glenanne began their comeback through Shane O’Donoghoe in the 24th minute to make it 3-1 and it remained that score at half-time.

The third quarter was largely scoreless and the next goal for Banbridge didn’t arrive till the 60th minute when Jake Rowe put them 4-1 up. Glenanne responded through two Jonathan McCormack goals in the 64th and 70th minutes were not enough however.

The game ended Banbridge 4 Glenanne 3. Banbridge qualify for the Men’s EYHL Champions Trophy final tomorrow and strike a blow ahead of next week’s Irish Senior Cup Final… against Glenanne.

BANBRIDGE: Luke Roleston; Alexander Tierney [capt.] , Johnny McKee , Peter Brown, Jake Rowe, Eugene Magee, Sam Farson , Owen Magee, Mark Cowan , Louis Rowe, Charlie Rowe, Joshua Moffatt, Hugh McShane, Mark Barlow , Matthew McKee

GLENANNE: David Lawless, Neil Byrne, Jonathan McCormack, Richard Couse, Jason Rogan, Brad Venter [C], Shane O’Donoghoe, Theo Boitel, Kevin Venter, Gary Shaw, Sam O’Connor, Shannon Boucher, Richard Shaw, Gavin Gibney

LISNAGARVEY – 2 MONKSTOWN – 1

Recently dethroned EYHL Men’s champions from the past few seasons Lisnagarvey who secured their place in the Champions Trophy semi-final via their second place finish in the EYHL Men’s Division for 2022-23 were up against a Monkstown side who qualified for the quarter-finals by squeezing into sixth place in the table the final spot in the knockout stages.

With two of the best goalkeepers in the EYHL between the posts in the shape of James Milliken (Lisnagarvey) and David Fitzgerald (Monkstown) this was hardly going to be the goalfest we had witnessed earlier in the afternoon.

Garvey took the lead through Andrew Edgar with a goal from open play on 11 minutes. Monkstown lost Karl Lynch with a green card two minutes later but Lisnagarvey’s temporary man advantage was nullified a minute later when Matthew Aughey was also green carded on 15 minutes. Both sides had been restored to full strength by the 17th minute but Garvey were back down to 10 players when Jonathan Lynch was green carded in the 26th minute giving Monkstown a temporary man advantage.

It remained 1-0 at the break.

There was no scoring in the third quarter in a closely fought encounter and the scoring resumed in a hectic closing period of the final quarter. Oliver Kidd put Lisnagarvey 2-0 up in the 68th minute from open play and Monkstown got what ultimately proved to be a consolation goal when Keith Kenning converted a penalty corner in the final minute.

It finished Lisnagarvey 2 Monkstown 1 and the top two teams in the country as well as being local rivals in Ulster will play off tomorrow for the right to represent Ireland in next season’s EHL.

LISNAGARVEY: James Milliken ; Jonathan Bell , Jonathan Lynch, Mark Mc Nelis, James Corry [capt.]

Peter McKibbin , Andrew Williamson, Daniel Nelson , Harry Morris, Andrew Edgar , Oliver Kidd , James Lorimar, Matthew Aughney, Daniel Murray

MONKSTOWN: David Fitzgerald, Nick Dee, David Carson, David Cole, Stephen Cole, Geoff Cole [capt.] , Karl Lynch, Keith Kenning, Sam Hohn, Theodore Kohlmann, Lee Cole , Jake Beirne Alex Murphy, Mark Gibbons, Ruan Omoore