Olden comes up trumps as College end jinx

Goalkeeper Karen Olden was UCC’s heroine as the students finally ended their run of defeats at the hands of Cork Church of Ireland by dumping the holders out of the women’s Munster Senior Cup on penalty strokes today.

On an afternoon of high drama at the Mardyke, College finally beat C of I at the sixth attempt and in the cruellest of fashions after a dour and tense game had finished scoreless following extra-time.

Olden saved low to her right from Mel Ryan and Sinéad Connery, after the latter’s sister Áine had been fortunate to see her scuffed effort trickle past a wrong-footed Orla McCarthy.

Ali O’Connor, Julia O’Halloran and Audrey O’Flynn all fired their efforts home emphatically to spark an outpouring of emotion for College, who had lost last year’s MSC final to C of I on a golden goal.

UCC goalkeeper Karen Olden, seen here watching a shot from Catholic Institute's Rosie Pratt earlier this season, saved two penalty strokes against C of I. Picture: Eoin Tyrrell

But it was an afternoon of mixed emotions for O’Halloran. She accidentally caught team-mate Hollie Moffett in the face with the ball from a raised free seven minutes after half-time, a freakish injury that saw the Irish international star taken to hospital with a suspected broken cheekbone.

O’Halloran channelled her emotions in admirable fashion thereafter, taking over the running of the College midfield in Moffett’s absence. She was everywhere as others tired late on, before keeping up her end of the bargain come stroke time by confidently rifling her effort into the corner of the net.

Moffett had an industrious first 20 minutes as College started better, but the students were fortunate to get the rub of the green from umpires Philip Shine and Andrew Gray throughout, particularly when two credible C of I short corner shouts were waved away.

Both sides were penetrating the circle at will – C of I via a slick passing game, while College used the dribbling ability of Áine Connery and Miriam Crowley up the middle – but shots on goal were strangely at a premium, as were short corners.

C of I finally got the game’s first set-piece chance on 31 minutes, Michaela Mihailou dummying her way past the runners to get a clean sight of goal, but Olden saved neatly.

College forced their only short corner of the entire 85 minutes just before half-time, but McCarthy was equal to O’Flynn’s high drag-flick.

C of I by far played the better hockey in the second half, with College understandably shaken by the unfortunate injury to Moffett. Deirdre Casey emerged as the game’s stand-out performer, as she and Amy Roberts helped create three half-chances for Julie O’Sullivan, but she couldn’t get any clean strikes on target under pressure from Orla Crowley and Áine Donegan.

When Áine Connery was yellow-carded for taking out a rampaging Mihailou from behind with nine minutes to go, the scene looked set for C of I to break College hearts late on once more.

But the closest they came was a Roberts reverse which crept harmlessly wide, and though they edged a tension-filled extra-time too, O’Flynn got a superb short corner block on Ryan to snuff out the Garryduff girls’ best chance.

Sisters Sinéad and Áine Connery, seen here in a game earlier this season, had mixed fortunes in a tension-filled penalty shootout. Picture: Eoin Tyrrell

Mihailou buried C of I’s first stroke to set the tone for the shootout, and the psychological advantage look to have swung C of I’s way when a nerve-riddled Áine Connery needed three attempts to take College’s first.

Her eventual effort was botched, but McCarthy had gone the wrong way. Olden did her part by saving from Ryan and Sinéad Connery – though she had no chance with Casey’s effort – but the College trio of O’Connor, O’Halloran and O’Flynn never looked like missing, and it proved enough for a 4-2 win.

College will now take on Catholic Institute, who dispatched Ashton 2-0 thanks to goals from Aoife Roisín Burke and Aoife Kenny.

Burke gave the visitors the lead on five minutes when she intercepted in midfield and her shot squirmed past Vanessa Sargent. Ashton had the better of things thereafter but found Ciara Ronan in inspired form between the sticks for Institute, who made it safe ten minutes from time though Kenny.

While the students will start as favourites on paper on the evidence of their 3-1 win earlier this season, they will have to travel to Limerick for the February 28 encounter.

Things were far more straightforward for Cork Harlequins, who handed Belvedere an 11-0 thrashing in Ballincollig. Karen Bateman was in imperious form, claiming five goals, while Cliodhna Sargent bagged a double, with Hilary Chapple, Rachel McSharry, Emily O’Leary and Tracy Johnston also on target.

Quins, determined to win back the MSC having surrendered it last season following 12 consecutive wins, will now host Bandon in the semi-finals. The west Cork side progressed without hitting a ball, after they were given a walkover from UL.

Karen Bateman (left) netted five times for Quins against Belvedere. Picture: Adrian Boehm

In the only two top-level men’s games of the weekend, Quins A and B completed a decent day’s work for the club with wins over Bandon and UCC respectively.

Two Dan Hobbs strikes – the first a drag-flick in the first minute – and a Mark Black goal did the damage for Quins A in a 3-1 league win, with Clinton Sweetnam replying for Bandon.

Quins B progressed to the semi-finals of the Charity Cup with a 7-1 win over UCC that wasn’t as straightforward as the scoreline seems.

College took an early lead through Mark Barry only for Greg McClelland to cancel it out, before Quins were awarded a penalty stroke for an over-zealous stick tackle.

Brian Hayes-Curtin did the necessary from the spot, but College’s Graham Jeffery took his protestations too far, earning two yellow cards that turned into a red one in the process.

It was still 2-1 at the break as Quins B were largely out of sorts, but they plundered some early second-half goals and College went to pieces, with Eddie Dore, Colin Ross, Thomas Cotter, Phil O’Driscoll and Wes Bateman all getting on the scoresheet.

In the only other game of the day, C of I A defeated C of I B 2-0 in the women’s Division Five.