Dublin University Ladies Association Football Club (DULAFC) got its season underway with an impressive away win at Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT) on Thursday afternoon. Despite the team’s head coach having stepped down at the start of the season, as well as having conceded an early goal in this fixture, DULAFC showed great character to come back and secure a very comfortable victory.
The game began in torrential rain as the ball moved from end to end in scintillating fashion. ITT were the beneficiaries of this chaos and capitalized on Trinity’s lack of control as some good work down the right wing resulted in the first goal of the game. While ITT would have been hoping to build on this lead, Trinity was sparked into action.
Stamping its authority on the game, Trinity’s plethora of attacking options, including Aine Tucker, Sara McGeough, Claire Nolan and Tara Coleman, peppered the ITT goal for the remainder of the first half. Mixing its play with threatening attacks from both set pieces and open play, the team looked impressively cohesive for its first 45 minutes of the season. They will have found themselves unlucky to be trailing at half-time.
Trinity came out with a bang after the interval and got its just reward 10 minutes into the second half, as a flowing counter-attack was finished by fourth-year Katherine Marsh. ITT’s resolute defence seemed to be cracking as more Trinity pressure sent them into the lead. This time, Tucker spotted McGeogh at the edge of the area and she found the net with a fantastic strike. The game was threatening to get away from ITT but the team rallied and began to exert pressure on Trinity. However, the visitor’s defence, led by Lucia Guzikowski and Chloe Delaney, held firm as the game entered the final 20 minutes.
The three points were wrapped up soon after as striker Sara McGeough got her second of the game by breaking past defenders and firing Trinity two ahead. Trinity’s players used their game management and kept up their intensity with midfielders Charli Lynch and Anita Gray stroking ball around the pitch until the game reached its conclusion.
The game showed this team’s potential and much credit must be given to the new head coach and Trinity student Danny Hobbs for this fantastic result. The team have set their sights high for this season.
Going unbeaten in the College and Universities Football League Women’s Division One (their opponents are ITT, Dublin City University (DCU) and Maynooth University) would not be beyond DULAFC, as the team also eyes qualification for intervarsities for the second year in a row.
