Dublin University Ladies Hockey Club (DULHC) was the victim of a heavy home defeat against table-toppers Cork Harlequins in Santry on Saturday afternoon. Harlequins scored goals at important times to leave the capital with a 5-1 victory, leaving the Trinity team looking nervously over its shoulder at the bottom of the EYHL table.
Though the game did ultimately get away from them, Trinity began the stronger, winning a corner in the opening five minutes, which came to nothing. Niamh Sweeney was next to trouble the Harlequins’ defence with some direct running, but her cross was cleared at the near post. The host’s bright start continued with the first shot of the game also coming from Sweeney, forcing a save from Harlequins’ goalkeeper Emma Buckley.
However, Harlequins soon began to gain a foothold in the game, winning a short corner after a foul in the penalty area. The resulting effort flashed just wide of the post. Harlequins started to control the game, with intense pressure disrupting Trinity’s attempts to play out from the back.
After 15 minutes, Harlequins’ pressure mounted and they made the breakthrough. A foul in the penalty area led to a short corner, which resulted in a clever routine set up Naomi Carroll whose effort took a slight deflection before finding its way into the net.
DULHC also started promisingly in the second quarter, winning an early short corner of its own, though Harlequins defended the attack comfortably. The Cork side quickly took charge of possession once again, but struggled to penetrate Trinity’s defence. A misplaced pass from a sideline ball by Harlequins broke to DULHC’s Louise McCollum, who found herself in a two-versus-one situation inside the Harlequins’ penalty area. A well-timed interception shut down the goal-scoring opportunity.
DULHC goalkeeper Carolyn Crampton was called into action twice in quick succession, producing two saves to keep the deficit at just one. One last long-range effort by DULHC’s Sally Campbell went well wide before half-time as Harlequins went into the break in the lead.
DULHC was once again quick out of the blocks at the start of the third quarter, forcing a short corner. The result of this was a rising effort from Sally Campbell, which was denied by Buckley in goal. DULHC continued to look threatening, with Niamh Sweeney almost running through on goal only to be denied by a last-ditch challenge.
The promising opening was once again tempered by a Harlequins goal. Good passing out from the backline by Harlequins saw Rebecca Barry confidently round the DULHC keeper before squaring the ball to Carroll, who passed home for her second of the game.
The second goal marked a turning point in the tie as Harlequins firmly took control. The third goal arrived soon after the restart. Some good dribbling by the high-flying Carroll forced a short corner. The set piece was initially blocked but DULHC failed to clear its lines and Yvonne Byrne got to the loose ball first, firing decisively home. Five minutes later, Harlequins had a fourth. Some quick dribbling by Kay Gaffney freed Michelle Barry, who finished calmly. After the flurry of goals, DULHC welcomed the shout for the end of the third quarter.
DULHC looked lacklustre in the game’s final period after the onslaught of the previous quarter. The result was put beyond all doubt five minutes into the fourth quarter when Carroll completed her hat trick. Clever passing on the right set up Carroll in front of goal, who shot past Crampton for her third and Harlequins’s fifth. The goal topped off a stellar performance by Campbell. A sequence of reflex saves by Crampton kept the score at 5-0, before Trinity’s Sally Campbell took advantage of some careless Harlequins defending to grab a consolation goal before the end.
For Trinity, it was a reminder of the quality of opposition in the top tier of Irish hockey. They face fourth-placed Ards next week, seeking to move away from the dreaded relegation zone and up the table.
