UCD bag four goals in Gourmet Food Parlour O'Connor Cup quarter-final win

Gourmet Food Parlour O’Connor Cup quarter-final 

Queen’s University 0-6
UCD 4-11

From Orla Bannon at the Dub 

UCD comfortably advanced to the semi-finals of the Gourmet Food Parlour O’Connor by putting four goals past Queen’s University in Belfast.

The visitors were superior in every department and led 1-7 to 0-3 at half time thanks to Andrea O’Reilly’s fifth minute goal and showed the home side no mercy in the third quarter with Kelly Boyce Jordan, Julia Buckley and Nicola Ward all hitting the net.

UCD, the 2016 champions, will next face city rivals DCU in the semi-finals on March 10.

Midfielder Laura McCann’s thumping long-range point put Queen’s ahead after just 30 seconds, but it was the only time they led in the match.

The visitors hit the net after five minutes, O’Reilly weaving her way through and drilling the ball high into the net after a left-footed finished. From there, the 2016 champions never looked back.

It was the start of an unanswered 1-5 in a devastating 10-minute spell for UCD, with O’Reilly adding two points (one from a free) while Nicola Ward capitalised on a clever through ball from O’Reilly to score from close range.

Dublin forward Michelle Davoren also scored the first of her two first-half points during that purple patch.

Fionnula Rocks ended the misery for Queen’s with a badly-needed score in the 16th minute to stop the rot.

UCD’s led 1-7 to 0-3 at half time and the lead didn’t flatter them. Indeed they could easily have been further ahead with O’Reilly hitting the woodwork four times, mostly through wayward free-kicks.

The floodgates opened in the second half with Queen’s frequently gifting possession back to their opponents.

Kelly Boyce Jordan had an easy finish from inside the square for goal number two after 40 minutes and a mis-placed pass out of defence was intercepted by Julia Buckley, who buried home the third goal.

Catherine Dolan added two points and Nicola Ward saved the best goal for last, ghosting in from the right and fizzing a superb shot across goal into the far corner of the net.

 

Scorers for Queen’s – F Rocks 0-1, L McCann 0-1, J Doonan 0-4 (3f)

Scorers for UCD – A O’Reilly 1-3 (1f), N Ward 1-1, K Boyce Jordan 1-0, J Buckley 1-0, M Davoren 0-2, C Dolan 0-2 (1f), L McCartan 0-1 (f), T O’Sullivan 0-1, N Ryan 0-1,

 

Queen’s University Belfast: Danielle Hargan (Derry); Niamh McIntosh (Antrim), Orlaith Maguire (Monaghan), Niamh Treanor (Monaghan); Eimear O’Rourke (Monaghan), Clodagh McCambridge (Armagh), Mairead Kavanagh (Down); Laura McCann (Antrim), Eimear McAnespie (Monaghan); Laoise Duffy (Down), Aoibhinn McHugh (Tyrone), Joanne Doonan (Fermanagh); Sarah McCausland (Fermanagh), Fionnuala Rocks (Antrim), Niamh Cooper (Antrim)

Subs: Clare Mulveney for Treanor (29), E Durkan for Cooper (37), Moya Feehan Sarah Brittain (Fermanagh) for McHugh (48), Caoimhe Stuart for Kavanagh (55)

 

UCD: Dearbhla Gower (Galway); Martha Byrne (Dublin), Sarah Gormally (Galway), Caoimhe McDermott (Cavan); Niamh Carr (Donegal), Kim White (Dublin), Karen Dowd (Galway); Karen McGrath (Waterford), Tarah O’Sullivan (Dublin); Kelly Boyce Jordan (Westmeath), Nicola Ward (Galway), Lucy McCartan (Westmeath); Andrea O’Reilly (Cavan), Michelle Davoren (Dublin), Julia Buckley (Dublin)

 

Subs: Catherine Dolan for O’Reilly, Niamh Ryan for Jordan, Kate McGrath for McDermott. Sarah Cullen for McCartan, Aiobhinn Gallagher for McGrath

 

Referee: Gavin Corrigan (Down)