Saturday may have felt like the beginning of summer, but unfortunately for Dublin University Ladies Hockey Club (DULHC), there wasn’t much sunshine in the scoreline against Belfast Harlequins, with the team losing 2-1 in Santry Avenue.
After a slow start, Trinity did well to come back into a game that was tight throughout. But in the end, Belfast had enough to gain a win.
Belfast started the stronger of the two teams, winning two short corners early on. They failed to capitalise on either opportunity, but redeemed themselves soon after with their first goal to break the deadlock. Trinity rallied after this and nearly got one back, Cliona McCullough’s shot sailing over the bar. Unfortunately for Trinity, this was not a signal of better things to come. Belfast went two up before the end of the first quarter to leave Trinity chasing the game.
The second quarter was brighter for DULHC. Early on, Trinity got a disallowed goal, which was quickly followed by a green card for the visitors. Trinity’s good work was rewarded before the end of the second half. A dangerous ball across the D found Niamh Sweeney, who steered the ball home.
The second half was an end-to-end affair, with both teams threatening each other’s goals throughout. DULHC nearly equalised with a few minutes to go, but the goal was disallowed. In the end, Belfast had enough in the tank to scrape by in what was a very close game.
DULHC have four more games to go in the league. They will need to pick up points from these games if they want to be assured of their survival. Two of those games are against Loreto Hockey Club and one is against Cork Harlequins, both of which are strong sides that could test Trinity. The other game is against Monkstown, who DULHC should expect to beat. There is still plenty to play for this season, but it won’t be easy for the Trinity team.
