Bandon bring UCC back down to earth

Women’s Division 1 UCC 1 (Emily O’Leary) Bandon 1 (Ciara McCarthy) UCC were brought crashing back to earth after their win over Institute as a resolute defensive performance from Bandon earned them a deserved draw at the Mardyke. This could have been a lot worse for the students; they only equalised in the final few minutes despite seemingly holding all the aces in terms of possession.

Bandon withstood some early pressure before Ciara McCarthy earned their first corner after Vicky Burns had picked her out with a long tracer of a pass. The same duo combined to convert the set-piece, Burns’ disguised sweep from the top redirected past Emma White by McCarthy. The story thereafter was one of relentless UCC pressure; they had 12 corners in total but all too rarely tested Claire Hayes, while White had to be alert to come off her line and smother Loraine Copithorne on a Bandon breakaway. College eventually equalised when Aine Curran’s bash from the top was mishit, Hayes saved but Emily O’Leary picked the rebound up off her pads. Ali Deane proved her side’s hero in the dying seconds as she took the ball off Olivia Roycroft’s stick with the Ireland U21 poised to shoot into a gaping goal to give the ever-improving west Cork side a share of the spoils. UCC go top by virtue of the two points gained, but Quins and Insta can both overhaul them if they win their games in hand. Irish Senior Cup round-up Irish Hockey Trophy Cork C of I 2 (Ali O’Connor 2) Waterford 0 Cork Church of Ireland had to be patient to eventually break down a stubborn Waterford rearguard in a keenly contested refixed IHT tie at Garryduff. After a scoreless opening 35, C of I hit the front through Ali O’Connor’s straight strike from a corner. The Waterford goalkeeper continued to frustrate them with a string of saves, the most memorable seeing Mel Ryan’s reverse bound for the top corner tipped around the post. C of I eventually gave themselves some breathing room midway through the half, O’Connor coming up with a carbon copy of her first effort.