It was a game of two halves, two teams, two extraordinary 25 yard goals and one improbable last gasp save on Thursday night as DCU’s ladies football team saw off UCD to claim their place at the O’Connor Cup finals weekend.
UCD: 1-07
DCU: 2-07
Almost identical but at the same time polar opposite to one another, the game was split into two halfs of dominance, one for both teams, summarised by each side’s outrageous goals both coming from frees no less than twenty-five yards from goal.
The visitors ran into an early three point lead with scores from Lindsey Peat and Laura McEneaney making the opening ten minutes a comfortable ride for DCU.
But that was before UCD’s Noelle Healy kicked what appeared to be a standard free over the DCU crossbar before the ball took a rapid and unanticipated dip at the last second, dropping over DCU goalkeeper Aisling Tarrot’s head to level proceedings.
Sarah Rowe showed that DCU would not take the setback lying down as she converted a free of her own to put her side back into the lead. This was followed by a Lucy Collin’s point that put DCU back into the driver’s seat and two points ahead.
However the home side reacted immediately and effectively, scoring three points with no reply from DCU, the scores coming from Healy, bringing her own tally to 1-02 before the break, and Amy Connolly.
The second half proceeded to bring out the best in both sides in this hotly contested affair. UCD bringing all of their aggression and vigor of the first half to match DCU’s tenacity and quick counter attacks. A game of tit-for-tat ensued for the opening ten minutes of the second half as another point from UCD’s Amy Connolly was cancelled by a milestone point from DCU’s Sarah Rowe.
As six UCD defenders fiercely shut down the DCU counter, the ball was gathered up neatly by Rowe who smashed the ball between the UCD posts – the score marking a change of fortunes for the visitors.
A UCD point didn’t dampen DCU spirits for long as the Glasnevin side finally capitalised on one of their aggressive, tempo-ridden counter attacks. Excellent passing from the visitors saw Rowe in behind the UCD full-back line, with the forward taking the ball in her stride and dispatching it calmly into the back of the net. UCD were now only a single point ahead, 1-07 to 1-06.
Another DCU score came from a Laura McEneaney point before UCD added one more, which turned out to be their final score of the game, as DCU once again countered the home side’s efforts by winning a free twenty-five yards from goal.
Lucy Collins took command of the ball, kicking high and straight into the night’s sky before, in a case of deja vu, dropping rapidly over the goalkeeper. Almost identical to that Healy’s goal for the home side early in the first half from a free of a similar distance, Collins’ strike simply had too much power in it and could only be panned away into the side netting by the UCD keeper.
The drama was unending in Belfield as UCD went searching for the equaliser, putting numerous chances wide before an astonishing shot from a UCD forward caught all but DCU goalkeeper Aisling Tarot off guard, as she dived low to her right to save the shot and, ultimately, the game for DCU. A delighted DCU manager spoke of his side’s relief at Lucy Collins’s winning goal.
“It’s a huge relief. We had kind of let a soft goal in ourselves in the first half so we were delighted to see it hit the back of the net and it gave us that bit of breathing space to see the game out. UCD came at us again but thankfully the girls are headstrong and we won it out,” he said.
“Ten minutes into the second half we were wondering was our time up because they were starting to pull away from us and kick scores. Then we just etched our way back into it and we stayed focussed and stayed hungry and the girls did great.”
Speaking about the last-gasp, game-winning save from DCU goalkeeper Aisling Tarot he remarked that she had been putting in such performances regularly and that the save was of no surprise.
“That’s what goalkeepers are there for, that’s how she earns her crust. She was outstanding, she’s been outstanding for us all year and hopefully she’ll take it into the O’ Connor weekend.”
DCU now go into the O’Connor Cup finals weekend where they will face University College Cork in their semi-final.
Putting last Thursday’s defeat against University Limerick behind them, they will now focus all priority on Saturday’s fixture against UCC.
“We’ll take one game at a time. I think we’re in against UCC now in the semi-final so we’ll just have to go away and prepare for that and hopefully we’ll do the business.”
Aaron Gallagher
Image Credit: Gianluca Avagnina
Leave a Reply