Trinity Camogie held off Technological University Dublin (TUD) to secure a narrow 0-08 to 0-05 victory in Grangegorman on Tuesday evening, clinching a first-place spot in their group and advancing to the knockout stages of the Fr Meaghair Cup.
While not the most action-packed nor fast-paced camogie match – offensive opportunities were scarce as the sliotar remained mainly in midfield – the close scoreline kept both teams engaged for the entirety of the match.
Trinity opened the scoring after Juliette O’Flynn raced down the line with possession and was fouled hard before being able to release a shot. This resulted in a free that was converted for the point.
A scoring drought followed, with neither side able to develop offensive plays. It wasn’t until the 20th minute that TUD scored the second score of the match: a free from TUD’s Saibh Daris levelled the score at 0-1 to 0-1.
After a five-minute injury delay, TUD’s Chloe O’Connor delivered a long pass to Megan Rocks down the line that saw a flock of players scramble for possession in the corner. Trinity’s aggressiveness in the tackle cost them a free, allowing TUD to take the lead.
But Trinity answered quickly, moving deep into TUD’s half with neat passing from Molly Walsh to O’Flynn. The latter had her jersey pulled, and Laura Stack’s free was good for the score.
In the 10 minutes remaining before the break, Trinity picked up the pace, mounting the pressure on TUD’s defence. They managed to pull ahead by three points, after stringing together several scores – including an impressive puck from an acute angle by Molly Walsh on the run.
Trinity maintained their momentum coming out of the half-time break with some quick back-and-forth passing. Ailis O’Shea combined with O’Flynn and Stack to find an opening, and sent her shot high and over the bar.
Early in the second half, TUD looked depleted. Most of their players were lagging behind in midfield as the sliotar was being sent deep into Trinity’s half.
Yet TUD were far from being out of the game. Awell-taken free allowed them to get their first score of the half, and when Stack missed an easy chance and Daris nailed another free for TUD, it looked like the game’s momentum might be starting to shift.
Determined to put the match to rest, Trinity answered with an attacking play that saw some superb interplay between Aoife Higgins, Aoife Mahon, Stack and O’Flynn. The latter blew past two TUD defenders into open ground, where she flipped it over for another score.
The most crucial moment of the match came when the sliotar was launched from deep towards the Trinity goal, and Daris collected in close proximity to the Trinity net. She fired a powerful shot towards the posts, but her attempt was high. It was a lucky break for Trinity – a goal would have left just one score between the sides.
Despite registering another couple of points, TUD’s momentum dried up too early after several injuries interrupted the flow of the match.
The final whistle blew, confirming the Trinity Camógs’ fourth win in as many matches and their advancement to the knock-out stages of the Fr Meaghair Cup.
Trinity will hope the success they have enjoyed thus far continues into the business end of the season. Next up they’ll compete in the Ashbourne Cup, which is being hosted by Waterford IT.
