DCU Freshers hurlers followed up their win against DIT with a nine point victory over St Patrick’s-Mater Dei in Drumcondra on Wednesday afternoon.
Gary Tynan (1-10, 6f) and Rian Mcbride (1-3) led the scoring for DCU as they ran out winners on a scoreline of 4-21 to 3-15.
In an action packed first ten minutes DCU opened the scoring through Paul Kelly, points from Gary Tynan and Kelly again opened the gap to three points before St Pat’s finally got on the board.
A goal from Cathal Dunbar followed, the corner-forward sped through the middle before placing the ball past Mark Cullen in the DCU goal.
Both sides traded points for the next ten minutes with Tynan adding three frees until a shot well saved by St Pat’s goalkeeper Killian Dunphy bounced out to the corner-forward who lashed it home from just outside the square.
With goal chances aplenty, Pat’s missed two clear cut opportunities to rattle the net as DCU began to open up a gap between the two sides scoring four points without reply to head in at halftime with a nine point lead. 1-14 to 1-05.
The second half began much in the same vein as the first with Rian McBride spurning a goal chance within the first minute. A sublime piece of skill opened the scoring in the second period with Cathal Dunbar putting over from a sideline cut.
Rian McBride made up for his miss minutes earlier with a well taken goal to put the away side firmly in control.
Pat’s responded with a point before Wexford man Cathal Dunbar popped up again to beat Mark Cullen in the DCU goal for his second goal of the game with a well taken finish with his feet into the corner of the net.
Tynan kept DCU comfortably in front with two more frees until a free for Pats inside their own 65 was dropped by Mark Cullen and flicked in by Jamie Byrne from close range.
Two points followed as Pat’s brought the gap back to two with just over ten minutes to go. As St Pats piled on the pressure first half substitute Eoghan Conroy hit the net for DCU’s fourth goal to ease the nerves.
The star man in attack for Pat’s, Cathal Dunbar, who finished the game with 2-2, went close again as the game neared its end blasting the sliotar just over the crossbar.
It was not until the last five minutes Gary Tynan missed his first free but it mattered not as DCU ran out comfortable winners in the end to make it three wins from three in the Freshers Division A league.
Final Score: DCU 4-21, St Pats 3-15
Cormac O’Shea
Picture credit: Graham McGrath
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