| Title: | Ladies Hockey - Irish Senior Cup - UCD v Pegasus |
|---|---|
| Date: | Sunday April 26th |
| Time: | 3:30pm |
| Venue: | National Hockey Stadium, Belfield, UCD |
UCD Ladies Hockey compete in All- Ireland Final for first time in 58 years
On Sunday April 26th at 3:30pm, the UCD ladies hockey team will be lining out in the Irish Senior Cup final against holders Pegasus in what is the highlight of the club calendar.
This is UCD’s first appearance in the final since 1951 when they won the competition. The UCD team is hoping to topple the favourites Pegasus who are searching for a three-in-a-row.
With two current internationals on the panel, Roisin Flinn and Lisa Jacob will spearhead the UCD challenge and lead a well-balanced and cohesive unit, all of whom have played underage representative hockey.
Pegasus, the Belfast-based club have a wealth of experience with numerous ex-internationals as well as an abundance of emerging talent, most notably Michelle Harvey and Alex Speers who are current members of the Irish team. Cup-specialists Pegasus have won the competition 7 times in the last 20 years and the Ulster Premier League champions will be well used to the big stage.
With the home advantage of the National Hockey Stadium in Belfield, UCD will not be phased by the Ulster side after dispatching two of Ireland's most successful clubs Hermes and Loreto in the earlier rounds of the competition. The also convincingly beat Belfast Harlequins to set up a semi-final with fellow students Ulster Elks. Elks, another up-and-coming student team proved a difficult test but a well executed short corner set piece, 8 minutes from full-time, saw Rachel Burke seal the win for UCD.
This year UCD competed in the inaugural Irish Hockey League, a new competition where the top 12 teams in the country collide, and they are currently completing the Leinster League campaign with the aim of a top 4 finish. Earlier in the season the team reclaimed the Chilean Cup awarded at the Intervarsities and lost out to Railway in the Leinster cup semi-final.
Team captain Lisa Jacob attributes the sides' success to date to the hard work and commitment of the players as well as the unique team spirit that has emerged this season. The acquisition of the coaching team, head coach Mary Logue and her assistant Nicky King, has improved the on and off-pitch organisation of the group as well as developing a defensively organised but offensively potent team. Both Logue and King are renowned for their outstanding contribution to hockey as players and it is evident their competitive nature and attention to detail has rubbed off on the players.
“It is very exciting to be in the Irish Senior Cup final,” says Mary Logue. “It has been a long time since a college side has reached this stage of the competition and it is a great opportunity for the players to test themselves against one of the best sides in the country.”
The game will be televised live on RTE.
