In a nail-biting contest away at Corinthians on a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon, Trinity Ladies Hockey 1st XI secured themselves a historic promotion to the EY2 hockey league.
The team came into the season having built a strong foundation last year, retaining many of the same players and adding a few new faces into the 1st Team squad. Finishing second in Division 1 at the end of the season and as Jacqui Potter Shield winners, the group were looking to build on these successes under new coach Rory Treacy.
After a season of mixed results, the team went into the final clash of the season sat in fourth place in the Leinster Hockey Division 1 table. With only the top three Leinster teams to be promoted to EY2 Division, this meant that the final game was a must-win event to achieve promotion to the EY2 Division. With the promotion, they would go on to play teams from across the country in search of a chance to play in EY Hockey League, the top league in the country.
The game, having been rescheduled twice due to a frozen pitch, was finally played this past Saturday. Arriving at a dark and cold St. Columba’s College, the changing room was alive with pre-match music (and some questionable dancing) as the team geared themselves up for the biggest match of the season so far. With Treacy having imparted his wisdom, the squad took to the pitch. The game got underway, with plenty of supporters making the journey to provide much-needed encouragement from the sidelines. The first quarter saw the Trinity defence under a lot of consistent pressure from Corinthians, resulting in a scrappy goal putting Trinity 1-0 down. Trinity pushed back playing fluid hockey, building from the back and through midfield, however to no avail. At half-time, the score remained 1-0 and promotion began to drift out of sight as the team were in a sub-optimal position, having to come back a goal down. A draw would not be sufficient for the team to move up, and so a big push was needed for the next thirty-five minutes. A revived team walked on as the second half started, the work-rate and intensity noticeably having shifted, each player putting everything into the game. Corinthians continued to put pressure on the Trinity goal, with a number of penalty corners but the defence remained strong, guided by goal-keeper Cathy Green.
The whistle blew signalling the end of quarter three and the scoreline had not shifted. With seventeen and a half minutes remaining, Trinity needed to throw everything at Corinthians. And that they did. A sensational reverse stick shot from Aoibhin Murdoch into the top right corner of the goal put Trinity at 1-1 with ten minutes remaining. Treacy made the decision to substitute Green in the Trinity goal, putting the team at eleven outfield players, compared to Corinthians’ ten. Play built up with plenty of chances, the attacking line maintaining pressure on the Corinthians’ backline, and with three minutes to go a connection from Lisa Biermann across goal found Sass Thompson on the back post who put Trinity ahead 2-1. With EY2 in their grasp, the team settled, with time still on the clock to maintain their lead. Corinthians pushed back but it was too little too late. The final whistle went and they had done it. A superb team performance, full of grit, determination and skill which won the team promotion and the right to celebrate the end of 2025 with nothing less than they deserved.
The last time Trinity Ladies 1st XI was in the EY2 League was the 2021/22 season. Only one member on the current squad, co-captain Ciara Mulligan, was a part of that 2021/22 season, highlighting the young talent the squad has been able to add to get back to this national stage. Since then, the format of the league has changed, and this will be the inaugural season. The promotion is a testament to the hard-work and dedication of the players, staff and those who have supported the club over the past few seasons. With no matches left this side of the Christmas break, a well-deserved rest will be had before the league starts up again with plenty to play for. There is much still to play for, with the team in the semi-finals of the National Irish Hockey Trophy, the Jacqui Potter Cup starting in the new year and the challenge of EY2 lying ahead.
