The Munster women’s title is Catholic Institute’s to lose, after they again prevailed against UCC by a one-goal margin, this time via a 2-1 success at Rosbrien.
Ger O’Carroll’s side now have an 11-point lead but are not mathematically safe just yet, and given they are not in league action again for at a month, their predictable coronation will have to wait.
O’Carroll yesterday said they are taking nothing for granted, but their task remains straightforward – take a minimum of a draw from their final three games, home and away to Belvedere and away to Cork Harlequins, and they will depose the latter as champions for the first time in 15 years.
Two successive IHL weekends and a Munster Senior Cup final must be negotiated in the interim, but in a week where Crescent claimed schools glory and Limerick made a national final, all is rosy in the garden for women’s hockey in Limerick.
Having twice raided the Mardyke successfully, once in league action and later in a cup semi-final, Institute were favourites here but the re-installation of Irish international Miriam Crowley to the UCC side evened the odds somewhat.
The sides contrived to produce the best of their three encounters so far, but Institute produced the best move of the first half to take a lead into the break.
A string of passes which began at the back eventually found Eimear Cregan in space, and she rattled the ball to the back post for Munster U21 Katie Campbell, recently back in action after a long absence with a cruciate knee injury, to convert.
Crowley was continuing to cause havoc down the right for UCC, who forced a corner 10 minutes into the second half that sweeper Olivia Roycroft converted via a drag-flick, her third goal of that type against Institute in two games.
However, with 13 minutes to go, Institute twice switched a corner at the top of the D and played in Christine O’Shea, whose accurate shot nestled in the bottom left-corner.
Caroline Hutchinson subsequently struck a post from a corner move back to the injector, while UCC forced another couple of corners but couldn’t find a way past Ciara Ronan in the Institute goal.
These two must meet once more this term – their final IHL clash at the Mardyke on March 19 – but College will not be glad to see Institute again in the league.
The focus for the students now is to ensure automatic IHL qualification, which will almost certainly come down to their April 2 meeting with Cork Harlequins on home turf, assuming neither side is upset elsewhere.
Quins, who have a game in hand, closed the gap to College to three points yesterday with a straightforward 6-0 victory away to UL which supplanted Ashton from third place.
Johanna Hyland scored her first senior goals since returning to action following the birth of her daughter, while Cliodhna Sargent netted a stroke and Leanne Mullins, Orlagh Cotter and Rachel McSharry also hit the target.
