Pembroke ended the weekend extending their lead on the high of the ladies’s EY Hockey League as they secured 4 factors from the six on supply to them.
On Saturday, they drew 1-1 in a top quality contest with Previous Alex with World Cup silver medalists Gillian Pinder and Nikki Evans exchanging objectives. Evans was first to strike with one other surprise objective, a close to carbon-copy of her effort per week in the past in opposition to Pegasus, simply two minutes into this tie.
However Pinder profited from some nice urgent to equalise within the second half, incomes a second successive draw for the table-toppers.
That allowed Catholic Institute to chop the hole in a single day on Saturday to at least one level because the Limerick aspect got here from a objective right down to defeat Cork Harlequins 6-1, their fifth successive league win. Naomi Carroll grabbed a brace to overturn Leah O’Shea’s first quarter strike for Quins.
For Pembroke on Sunday, although, they restored some respiratory room after they dug deep to beat Cork Harlequins 2-1. Beth-Anne O’Farrell had put Quins in line for a shock consequence with a forty ninth minute penalty nook objective however Pembroke rallied rapidly with Pinder netting a penalty stroke and Aisling Naughton bought the winner within the 53rd minute.
The weekend’s motion noticed a niche emerge between Institute in second – and computerized EY Champions Trophy qualification – and the chasing pack with Alex in third place and Pegasus dropping to fourth.
That’s due to their heavy 4-0 house defeat by the hands of Loreto. All of the objectives got here within the second half with Hannah Matthews, Siofra O’Brien, Grace Donald and Sarah Torrans scoring.
It retains the Beaufort aspect within the body for a playoff place together with UCD and Railway Union who additionally received nicely.
UCD had been 3-1 victors at Belfast Harlequins whereas Railway noticed off Muckross 2-0. These outcomes meant there was no change within the relegation state of affairs – Cork Harlequins stay on one level with 9 factors required from their final 4 video games to keep away from the drop. Muckross are 5 factors adrift of Belfast Harlequins and potential security.
In EYHL Division 2, Ards picked up a major win in Pool 1 after they beat Corinthian 3-1 to construct a five-point lead on the high of that desk. UCC bought their marketing campaign again in movement with a 4-1 success over Trinity to sit down in third place.
In Pool 2, Monkstown marked themselves out additional because the competitors favourites as they recorded an 8-1 away win over Cork C of I. The consequence retains them 10 factors away from Queen’s in second who had been 1-0 winners at NUIG.
Girls’s EYHL outcomes
EYHL Division 1
Saturday: Belfast Harlequins 1 (J Watt) UCD 3 (A Naughton R Kelly,, E Paul); Catholic Institute 6 (N Carroll 2, A Horan, R Upton, A Hickey, E Ryan) Cork Harlequins 1 (L O’Shea); Previous Alex 1 (N Evans) Pembroke 1 (G Pinder); Pegasus 0 Loreto 4 (H Matthews, S O’Brien, G Donald, S Torrans); Railway Union 2 (L Lloyd, E Smyth) Muckross 0
Sunday: Cork Harlequins 1 (B-A O’Farrell) Pembroke 2 (G Pinder, A Naughton)
EYHL Division 2 – Pool 1:
Corinthian 1 (A Maleady) Ards 3 (A Benson 2, E Robinson); UCC 4 (C Dring 2, A O’Mahony, E Cripps) Trinity 1
EYHL Division 2 – Pool 2:
Cork C of I 1 (Okay Gaffney) Monkstown 8 (A O’Flanagan 3, S Hoban Logan 3, O Brady, C O’Reilly); NUIG 0 Queens College 1 (J McMaster)
Girls’s EYHL Division One – day 13 round-up
Previous Alex 1 (Nikki Evans) Pembroke 1 (Gillian Pinder)
Previous Alex and Pembroke shared the spoils from a particularly hard-fought tussle in Milltown with World Cup silver medalists Nikki Evans and Gillian Pinder buying and selling objectives.
Alex had been first to strike simply 68 seconds into the competition when Evans pounced on some dither in defence, choosing up the ball on the circle’s edge and unleashing a superb reverse stick shot to match her one from per week in the past.
The hosts had the momentum on this section with Emma Russell’s shot nicely saved by Emma Buckley whereas their first of 5 penalty corners slipper simply extensive.
With the next press in Q2, Pembroke had extra of the play as they pinned Alex again for spells as each goalkeepers pulled off key stops. Emily Beatty’s fast shot was parried away by Holly Micklem whereas Buckley slid out to smother the menacing Mikayla Energy.
Martha McCready had an enormous likelihood snuffed out on the objective line by Micklem and the goalkeeper produced the choose of the saves from the follow-up penalty nook when she in some way blocked a nook deflected from Sally Campbell.
The equaliser for Pembroke arrived within the third quarter when Pembroke’s press swallowed up the Alex midfield, turning over ball on the 23m line. Ellen Curran slipped the ball proper to Pinder who flicked throughout objective with a defensive intervention turning the ball in.
Whereas Pembroke had barely extra of the ball, Alex had been those who had the probabilities down the closing stretch with Evans hitting the side-netting from a nook transfer whereas two additional penalty corners had been blocked down within the final 5 minutes.
Belfast Harlequins 1 (J Watt) UCD 3 (A Naughton R Kelly, E Paul)
UCD stored up their push for a playoff place as they received nicely at Deramore Park, placing 10 factors between them and their Saturday hosts.
The scholars began the livelier, forcing a nook within the first three minutes which was ultimately cleared. Harlequins sustained the early strain and began to ease up the pitch however an unlucky slip in midfield allowed a ball by means of to the hazard zone and Aine Naughton scored on her reverse. Though the play evened out, UCD discovered Michelle Carey in area on the fitting and he or she used her appreciable tempo to get to the byline and cross to Rachel Kelly on the left submit for his or her second of the sport.
Quarter 2 was a extra even affair with some thrilling hockey. Belfast Harlequins had their greatest likelihood to attain from a nook however the UCD keeper made a advantageous save. Likewise, Q3 was honours even with not a lot circle penetration for both workforce however nonetheless entertaining hockey.
It heated up within the closing quarter with Quins happening to 10 gamers however nonetheless discovered some slick two-touch hockey to get on the scoreboard as Sophie Hunter drove into the circle and made a vital cross to Jenna Watt on the left. Watt made no mistake with the objective: 2-1.
Quins continued to press however a debated penalty nook for UCD, together with a yellow card for Natalie Lyttle, proved definitive. Emma Paul’s shot from that set piece took a deflection to kill off the consequence and an additional yellow for the hosts stymied any hopes of a late cost.
Pegasus 0 Loreto 4 (H Matthews, S O’Brien, G Donald, S Torrans)
Erratic Loreto ran up an enormous win away to Pegasus, placing a dent within the Ulster aspect’s title hopes whereas giving their probabilities of a playoff place an additional pep in its step.
After a scoreless first half, Olympian Hannah Matthews broke the impasse within the third quarter they usually spun out right into a 3-0 benefit courtesy of Siofra O’Brien and Grace Donald.
Pegs withdrew their goalkeeper Megan Todd for an additional outfielder for elements of the fourth quarter in a concerted bid to try to seize one thing from the sport nevertheless it backfired with Sarah Torrans scoring into an open internet. The defeat sees Pegasus drop into fourth place.
Railway Union 2 (L Lloyd, E Smyth) Muckross 0
Railway spent a lot of the primary half on the entrance foot with Muckross’s defence referred to as on to make a collection of necessary blocks with Aoife Glennon busy in objective whereas Julia Balcerzak and Ella Malone clearing up off the pads.
The primary objective got here on the half-hour as Sarah Hawkshaw lower in from the fitting wing and laid on an ideal slide-rule cross to set Lily Lloyd free. She dummied proper to create a narrower angle however, crucially, an additional sliver of area to flick house from near the baseline on the close to submit.
The sample was the same one within the second half with Railway pushing on and Muckross defending feverishly with Hawkshaw’s pump at objective nicely blocked by Glennon. Lily Lloyd picked out her older sister Kate in behind the final defender for an additional nice likelihood however she was unable to attach together with her reverse-stick effort.
Muckross, although, developed as increasingly of a menace as time wore on and – after a collection of three corners – Catalina Paz Montino hit the submit from the second section of 1 set play.
However the very important second objective arrived within the 51st minute when Niamh Shaw, Lily Lloyd and Ailish Lengthy mixed down the left channel, getting the ball into the center the place Emma Smyth swept house.
Catholic Institute 6 (N Carroll 2, A Horan, R Upton, A Hickey, E Ryan) Cork Harlequins 1 (L O’Shea)
Catholic Institute closed the Saturday evening hole to at least one level within the ladies’s EYHL with their fifth successive win. They did fall behind within the first 10 minutes when Leah O’Shea as the underside aspect dreamt of a shock consequence.
However Insta had been firing within the second quarter when Olympic duo Róisín Upton and Naomi Carroll mixed, the latter ending off to make it 1-1. Anna Horan put the Limerick aspect in entrance for the primary time when she dragged in a penalty nook earlier than half-time and Upton matched that feat on the opposite aspect of the break.
Aoife Hickey prolonged the result in 4-1 and Upton’s hit was turned in by Elizabeth Ryan for an additional one. Carroll closed out the scoring for a complete win.
