DCU Ladies march on to O’Connor Cup Weekend

DCU Ladies qualified for their third successive O’Connor Cup championship weekend in three years when they defeated a well fancied NUIG side at home in St Claires last Thurs March 12th.

Beginning against a very stiff breeze, DCU started brightly with Ciara McAnespie registering their first point straight from the throw-in after good work from the midfield pairing of Shannon Quinn and Bronagh Sheridan.

Full back Denise Mulhare had her hands full with Galway’s All Star forward Una Carroll who got NUIG off the mark with a superb long-range effort from just inside the 45.

However, this was to be as good as it got for Carroll who got nothing more out of the DCU fullback, Mulhare a commanding presence on the edge of the square throughout.

Lyndsay Davey snuck in for a crafty goal some five minutes later getting a flick onto Sarah Connolly’s free kick.

While NUIG employed a sweeper in front of the ever-dangerous DCU full forward line it did not curtail McAnespie or Davey who worked tirelessly and registered two more points.
Cavan’s Roisin O Keeffe was unlucky to see her shot come back off the crossbar after a blistering run through the NUIG defence. Assisted by the strong wind, NUIG piled on the pressure but met a brick wall in the shape of the DCU defence.

While their cause was not helped by the loss of wing back Ciara Dempsey through injury after only 15 minutes, all six defenders remained equally resilient, working the ball out efficiently as a unit and making sure scores were at a premium for the visitors.

DCU stormed to a commanding lead early in the second half by adding two early points to their tally. DCU midfielders asserted their authority throughout the game winning a vital ball that led to another point for full-forward Sarah Connolly.

However NUIG responded quickly with a point from a freekick. This lead to a period of increased pressure on DCU with needless fouls starting to be commited on the opposition allowing a couple of chances for NUIG to narrow the deficit.

This pressure was increased in the dying minutes of the game when NUIG scored a goal however valiant defending from DCU ensured they held on for a well-deserved victory.

DCU now head to Belfast for the O’Connor cup weekend on Sat 28th March to face a semi final showdown against current champions UUJ who already have the advantage of playing on home soil.

While this is undoubtedly a massive task for DCU, this is a small tightly knit squad with an immense amount of experience and talent who are more than capable of dethroning the champions on their home patch. Whatever the outcome, a phenomenal O’Connor Cup semi final tie lays in store.

DCU: Cliodhna O’Connor, Aoife Green, Denise Mulhare, Ciara Daly, Sinead O’Mahoney, Donna English, Ciara Dempsey, Shannon Quinn, Bronagh Sheridan, Aedin Murray, Roisin O Keeffe, Aoife Mcanespie, Ciara Mcanespie, Sarah Connolly, Lyndsay Davey. Subs : Rosie Heeney, Claire Murtagh, Shona King, Fiona O’Connor, Carole Bergin