Clever Trevor sends Laurel Hill packing

Another giant of schoolgirls hockey fell at the first hurdle earlier today, as Amy Kate Trevor’s extra-time goal gave Scoil Mhuire a 2-1 win over defending champions Laurel Hill Coláiste in a fiercely-contested Munster Schoolgirls Senior Cup quarter-final at the Mardyke. Eimear Cregan’s Laurel Hill side, who had won last year’s final with such panache against Mount Mercy, ceded much of the territory to the Cork school, but never looked out of it and it took a penalty stroke 15 minutes from time to break the deadlock. That came after a goal-bound short corner was stopped by a foot on the goal-line, and C of I’s Lauragh O’Neill did the necessary from the spot to give David Egner’s Scoil Mhuire side side the lead. But Laurel Hill succeeded where Mount Mercy had failed against Coláiste na Toirbhirte yesterday, and found an equaliser as they pressed hard in the final minutes, with Sorcha Carey blasting home to force extra-time. Extra-time continued in the same vein – full of passion and tension bubbling under – but Trevor broke Laurel Hill hearts as she clinically slotted home from a short corner switch with four minutes to go, with the tears at the final whistle telling everything about how gutted the Limerick girls were. Scoil Mhuire now progress to an away semi-final against Coláiste na Toirbhirte, with Crescent awaiting the winners of Bandon Grammar’s joust with Midleton, which is down for decision on February 11 (1.30pm), after the west Cork school have completed their pre-Leaving Cert exams.