There was nothing but success across the codes for UL this week with our senior teams progressing to the knock-out stages of the Sigerson, Ashbourne and Fitzgibbon Cups.
The senior footballers set-up a quarter-final clash with UUJ following their excellent victory over CIT during the week.
In the Ashbourne Cup, UL finished off the group stage in style with a 6-13 to 0-3 win over CIT. They now look forward to the Ashbourne finals weekend in NUIG.
Their hurling counterparts also had an impressive win during the week, beating WIT by 11 points. They now face a tough opponent in UCC in the quarter-final on Pitch 1 on Thursday.
Also in the coming week, our senior ladies footballers will be kicking off their O’Connor Cup campaign as they welcome NUIG on Wednesday afternoon.
Plenty of home fixtures to enjoy so please make sure to come out and show your support to our teams!
We would like to wish all our teams the very best of luck this week, especially our senior camogie team as they look to be crowned Ashbourne Cup champions for the third year in a row! UL Abú!
Week 2 Results:
Sigerson Cup: UL 2-12 CIT 1-11
Ashbourne Cup: UL 6-13 CIT 0-3
Fitzgibbon Cup: UL 2-19 WIT 1-8
Match Reports:
Sigerson Cup Rd 1
Pitch 1 Tuesday 30 January
By Ivan Smyth
UL 2-12 CIT 1-11
UL qualified for the quarter finals of the Sigerson Cup after a hard-fought victory over Cork IT. UL raced into a 0-2 to 0-0 lead with two frees from wing forward James Naughton. CIT grew into the game and UL indiscipline cost them as CIT hit three frees to lead by 0-3 to 0-2.
UL hit with a free of their own, but CIT struck a goal after a goalmouth scramble to give themselves a three-point advantage. UL were struggling to win their own kick outs and CIT punished them with two further points to leave UL trailing by 1-5 to 0-3 after twenty minutes.
UL began to dominate in midfield and this allowed them to commit more bodies forward to support their attack. UL hit the next point before a surging run by Eoghan O’Connor allowed corner forward Conor Finucane to slot the ball home. Finucane hit another point and Niall McDermott scored with the last kick of the half to leave UL leading by the bare minimum, 1-6 to 1-5.
UL goalkeeper Barry Redmond made a low stop early in the second half to keep his side in front. The save proved important as moments later Keelan Sexton was fouled inside the square and James Naughton finished the ball low to the corner of the net.
CIT refused to buckle, and they hit four of the next five points to reduce the gap to one at the three-quarter mark. After spurning two goal chances, UL responded with a pair of frees by number 13 Niall McDermott and well taken scores by Keelan Sexton and Conor Finucane with the influential Gearoid Hegarty hitting another point to leave the score at 2-12 to 1-9.
CIT hit two points of their own before Niall McDermott hit the final score of the game. UL survived the late sending off of Gearoid Hegarty to seal a deserved victory and their place in the quarter final.
UL Team: Barry Redmond; Shane Courtney; Luke Boland; Daire Quinn; Stefan Okunbar; Pearse Lillis; Cian O’Dea; Fintan O’Cunaigh; Gearoid Hegarty (0-1); James Naughton (1-2); Denis Daly; Eoghan O’Connor; Niall McDermott (0-5); Keelan Sexton (0-2); Conor Finucane (1-2)
Subs: Joe Mason for Boland (48), Nigel Rabbitt for Ó Cunaigh (52), Darragh Bohannon for Daly (54), Eoghan Lawless for Finucane (57), Fionn McDonagh for O’Connor (59), James Lyons for O’Dea (63).
Fitzgibbon Cup Rd 2
WIT Thursday 1 February
By Ivan Smyth
UL 2-19 WIT 1-8
UL progressed to the Fitzgibbon Cup Quarter Finals after easily overcoming the challenge of WIT on a freezing night. The teams traded the first four points of the game before UL hit three points in a row through Barry Murphy and Ian Galvin.
WIT hit the next score to reduce the gap to two, before Barry Murphy fended off a tackle and hit the ball low past WIT and Wexford goalkeeper Mark Fanning. The teams traded points before Kevin O’Brien, Tom Morrissey and Ian Galvin hit three points to give UL a ten-point advantage against the break, 1-11 to 0-4.
WIT reduced the arrears when they hit the first two points of the second half but they missed three scorable frees. UL hit back with three points of their own with Kevin O’Brien providing two of the points and Barry Murphy hitting a free. The teams traded points before Ian Galvin hit a point from near the sideline to hand UL an 11-point lead, 1-15 to 0-7.
Barry Murphy hit a point for UL before WIT responded with one of their own. UL began to empth the bench and it was substitute David Gleeson who made an immediate impact when he fired the ball to the back of the net. Gleeson quickly followed up his goal with a point to give UL a 2-17 to 0-8 advantage.
Barry Murphy hit the next point before Mark Fanning scored a consolation goal from a 30-metre free. UL hit the final point of the game to seal a well-earned fourteen-point success. UL now progress to a quarter final against UCC. This win completed a clean sweep of wins with UL’s Sigerson and Ashbourne Cup teams also victorious this week.
UL Team: David McCarthy; Sean Finn; David Fitzgerald; Brian Troy; Barry Heffernan; Conor Cleary; Aidan McGuane; Tony Kelly; Paul Maher; Ian Galvin; Kevin O’Brien; Tom Morrissey; Barry Murphy; Michael Mullins; JP Lucey
Subs: David Gleeson for Maher, John Lennon for Morrissey, Jordan Henley for Heffernan, Stephen Roche for McGuane, Michael Mackey for Mullins
Week 3 Fixtures:
Tuesday 6th February
Sigerson Cup QF: UL v UUJ at 2pm in Jordanstown
Wednesday 7th February
O’Connor Cup: UL v NUIG at 3.30pm on Pitch 1
Thursday 8th February
Fitzgibbon Cup QF: UL v UCC at 2.30pm on Pitch 1
Fresher 2 Football Championship: UL v DCU at 3pm in DCU
Giles Cup: UL v Mary I at 3.30pm in Mary I
Intermediate Football Championship: UL v UCD at 5.30pm in UCD Belfield
Saturday 10th February
Ashbourne Cup Semi-Final in NUIG
Sunday 11th February
Ashbourne Cup Final in NUIG
