Dublin University Ladies Hockey Club (DULHC) kicked off their league campaign in style at the weekend, thrashing Genesis Hockey Club 6-0 in St Raphaela’s School. A second-half routing helped the visitors to an impressive Leinster League win and made a defeat to Corinthians the day in their first game of the Irish Hockey League (IHL) 2 a less bitter pill to swallow.
Trinity started the game at a lightning pace, emboldened by the constant presence of coach Brian Scully. Genesis were forced to defend for most of the first half. The visitors won three short corners in the first 25 minutes. Their first goal came from their fourth short corner. After Sally Campbell’s flick was stopped, Genesis failed to clear the ball and Trinity’s Ruby Keating was on hand to tap the ball into the net. The rest of the first half continued in this vein. The only complaint Trinity could have going into the half-time team talk was that they were not a few goals up.
They need not have worried. Five minutes into the second half DULHC got their second goal, with Campbell finishing neatly from a short corner. A few minutes later Ailish Long found herself in front of an open goal. She matter-of-factly tapped the ball home. This was followed less than a minute later by another Trinity goal.
DULHC did not have long to wait before registering their fifth and best goal. After a rare Genesis attack caught Trinity off balance, the visitors regained their composure, stormed up the pitch and a pinpoint pass from Campbell found Issy Delamer who deftly directed the ball into the back of the Genesis net.
Unsurprisingly, Trinity’s final goal came once more from a short corner, Long making short work of the opportunity. The game finished 6-0 to Trinity.
Trinity will undoubtedly be disappointed with their defeat to Corinthians in the first game of the IHL 2 but their first league match really could not have gone better. It never looked like Genesis would trouble them and they showed great skill and teamwork throughout. They worked hard and were, for the most part, clinical in front of goal, particularly in the second half. They will look to make it two wins in two in their next assignment against Rathgar on October 13th.
