Pegasus’ love affair with the women’s ESB Irish Senior Cup continued as they moved ominously into the quarter-finals after seeing off Loreto 2-0 at Queens University on Saturday.
While Leinster’s big three of Hermes, Loreto and Railway Union all have a phalanx of Irish internationals at their disposal for big cup games, Pegs have routinely shown the benefit of having a more settled side.
Vanessa Surgeoner and Kate McConnell got the all-important goals in an even game, and with Pegs — winners in 2004, 2007 and 2008 — having already eliminated Railway as well, they are now competition favourites along with Hermes.
However, they must now negotiate a tricky derby against Ulster league leaders Lurgan in the last eight, with Ulster Elks — who saw off Armagh 1-0 thanks to Kirstie Lammey’s golden goal — at home to Hermes.
Already waiting in the semi-finals are Ballymoney — 2-1 winners at Old Alex — and UCD, who saw off Cork Harlequins in dramatic circumstances.
A Caroline Hill golden goal broke Quins hearts and ended Munster’s hopes in the competition at Belfield, the students winning 3-2.
Irish international starlet Chloe Watkins twice put UCD in front but her efforts were twice cancelled out by Quins’ Cliodhna Sargent and Rachel McSharry, but Hill made the vital intervention in extra-time.
Watkins won and converted a penalty stroke early on, but Sargent beat both the UCD runners at a corner before slotting home the equaliser.
UCD’s lead was restored through a high Watkins drag-flick, but McSharry levelled with a shot cracked home from the right of the circle off an improvised short corner.
Watkins was also sin-binned on an eventful afternoon for her, but returned to take Vanessa Sargent out of the equation and allow Hill to convert the golden goal winner in extra-time.
There was happier news for Ashton, however, as they raided north Dublin in some style, seeing off Clontarf 3-1 to book a place in the quarter-finals of the Irish Trophy.
Top goalscorers Caroline McCarthy and Emma Harrington — with a Shauna Fagan effort sandwiched in between — did the business for George Treacy’s side, as the veteran coach put one over his former Irish international protégé Fiona Manning.
They now join Bandon in the last eight, and will be back on home turf against North Kildare; the west Cork girls will travel to the winners of Three Rock Ladies’ tussle with Galway next weekend.
Domestically, Catholic Institute swatted aside Bandon 9-0 — with Eimear Cregan claiming four of those — to open up an eight-point lead over UCC at the top of the standings in Munster.
The permutations are straightforward for Ger O’Carroll’s girls — defeat UCC at Rosbrien on March 5, and two points from their final three games will secure the title.
At the other end, Ann Marie Dooley struck a vital winner for Belvedere at UL, allowing the Ballincollig outfit to leapfrog the
Limerick students, who will be in relegation trouble if they fail to pick up a point in their final four games.
Although they missed Aly Moore due to mock exam commitments, plenty of others starred in her absence, including Fiona Murphy, 18-year-old midfielder Cliona Barrett and left-back Eileen Foyle.
The goal arrived from a counter attack instigated by Barrett, who found her sister Aoife. She beat two players and crashed the ball to Dooley in the circle, who swept over the UL goalkeeper’s head.
UL, for whom Laura Davis gave a masterclass at the back, stayed true to their route one game and forced three corners – to Belvedere’s five – but could not breach the Ballincollig side’s goal, and they now have four games to save their season as they lie a point behind Belvedere.
Women
ESB Irish Senior Cup quarter-finals
UCD 3 (C Watkins 2, C Hill) Cork Harlequins 2 (C Sargent, R McSharry) (aet, golden goal);
Old Alex 1 (R Griffith) Ballymoney 2 (J Nelson, J Lynch);
Rd 2
Pegasus 2 (V Surgeoner, K McConnell) Loreto 0;
Ulster Elks 1 (K Lammey) Armagh 0 (aet, gg);
ESB Irish Trophy Rd 2
Clontarf 1 (N McMullen) Ashton 3 (C McCarthy, S Fagan, E Harrington);
Rd 1
Greenisland 1 Galway 6 (E Glanville, M Carey, E Carey, D Hatton, R Bradley, F Timmins).
Quarter-finals (March 5): Ashton v North Kildare; Dromore v Portadown; Three Rock Ladies/Galway v Bandon; Lisnagarvy v Victorians.
Munster Div 1
Catholic Institute 9 (E Cregan 4, N Carroll 2, E Bromell, C Sullivan, K Campbell) Bandon 0;
UL 0 Belvedere 1 (AM Dooley);
