Dublin University Hockey Club (DUHC) could have been forgiven for feeling uneasy as the team went into their fourth league game against Kilkenny Hockey Club today in Santry. Last weekend, DUHC suffered an 8-2 defeat to YMCA followed by a draw against Clontarf the next day. Last year, the team had beaten Kilkenny 3-2 in the final game of the league but after the crushing defeat last Saturday there was no guarantee of a similar outcome. However, after a frenetic second half, Trinity emerged victorious, 3-2 the final score once again.
The game started at a frantic pace but neither team were capable of creating any tangible chances. Passes to the Trinity forwards weren’t sticking and the forwards struggled to find a foothold in the game. Thirty minutes into the half, Wilf King got the ball outside the D and after a winding run managed to win a short corner. Rory Nichols couldn’t convert the opportunity, his effort saved off the line by a Kilkenny defender. A minute later, Kilkenny won a short corner of their own, the team’s shot inching wide.
After a tepid end to the first half, the game heated up just 10 minutes after the break. Kilkenny won their second short corner of the match, which was kept out by the outstretched stick of Trinity’s keeper, Hugh Lavery. Minutes later, Trinity went ahead from a short corner of their own, Nichols making amends for his miss in the first half.
Trinity’s inability to maintain concentration after scoring plagued the team for the rest of the game. Minutes after Trinity’s first goal, Kilkenny equalised in emphatic fashion with a reverse-stick shot Lavery couldn’t keep out.
At this point, the game had opened up and both teams played with abandon. Soon after Kilkenny’s equaliser, Trinity’s Cillian Hynes found himself behind the Kilkenny defence and slammed the ball home to put Trinity in front. Once again Trinity couldn’t keep hold of their lead. Two minutes after Hynes’s goal, Kilkenny found space in the Trinity D and drew level for the second time.
Clearly hungry for their first win of the season, Trinity’s players snatched victory from Kilkenny with only minutes to spare. Hynes intercepted a relaxed pass, drove into the D and finished off the opportunity with style. This goal put Trinity ahead for the third and final time. Kilkenny had one more opportunity from a short corner, which forced a brilliant save from Lavery to cement Trinity’s win. The game finished 3-2 to Trinity.
The Trinity players were visibly delighted with the win today and they should be proud of their performance. Despite a crushing defeat last weekend they managed to stay resolute and etch out the win. However, the ease with which Kilkenny twice took advantage of Trinity’s complacency after scoring a goal was notable and is something they need to work on. Next up, Trinity play Annadale Hockey Club on Sunday in their first game of the Irish Senior Cup.
