Mary I and UU Jordanstown to meet again in D2 Final after floodlight failure

Gourmet Food Parlour Ladies HEC Division 2 League Final

Mary Immaculate College, Limerick 0-9 Ulster University Jordanstown 0-5

(Game abandoned at half-time due to floodlight failure)

By Cóilín Duffy

Ladies HEC PRO

The Ladies Footballers of Mary Immaculate College and Ulster University Jordanstown will have to meet again next week to decide the destination of the Gourmet Food Parlour Division 2 HEC League title, after floodlight failure forced the abandonment of this final at half-time at DIT Broombridge on Wednesday night.

 

On an awful night weather-wise, which saw heavy rain and winds for the most part, and even a flash of lightning nearby, it was probably best that the players will gather on another day to decide a winner, in hopefully better weather conditions.

 

Despite the testing conditions both teams served up a fast-paced and a high standard 30 minutes of football.

 

Mary I were eager early on, and led by 0-5 to 0-0 after just seven minutes with captain Laura Cleary (3); Aoife Murray and Saoirse Moore on target for the Limerick college.

 

Despite this strong showing on the scoreboard, it was actually their Ulster counterparts who registered the opening two scoring chances, and could have so easily had 1-1 on the board in the opening 90 seconds.

 

Aoibheann Henderson fired wide after just 12 seconds, while a minute later Mary I keeper Laura Brennan was forced to pull off a save, after a Chloe McCaffrey goal shot.

 

But the chances suddenly became limited for Sean O’Kane’s charges, and it wasn’t until Aimee Mackin opened their account in the ninth minute, after excellent work by Meabh Mallon; that UU registered their next attack.

 

Cleary added her fourth point to restore her sides five point lead in the 11th minute, and although Mary I scored two of the next three points, to open up an 0-8 to 0-2 lead on 17 minutes, UU bounced back.

 

They registered three unanswered points, including two inside 50 seconds to cut the gap to three points, with Aimee Mackin (2) and Meabh Mallon on target.

 

Defences stood firm in the closing minutes of the half, with a Laura Crowley point the only score in the final five minutes before the break, to help her side take a 0-9 to 0-5 interval lead.

 

Both sets of players and management were keen to get some shelter in the dressing rooms at the break, and not long after they entered them for some much-needed warmth, the floodlights failed.

 

Efforts to restore power were made without success, before match referee David Murphy decided to call a halt on proceedings.

 

Details of the refixture will be available on the Ladies HEC Facebook and @LadiesHEC Twitter accounts later this week.

 

Scorers for Mary Immaculate College, Limerick: Laura Cleary (3f) 0-5; Eimear Kiely, Saoirse Moore, Aoife Murray, Laura Crowley 0-1 each.

 

Scorers for Ulster University Jordanstown: Aimee Mackin (1f) 0-3; Grainne Rafferty, Meabh Mallon 0-1 each.

 

MARY IMMACULATE COLLEGE (Cork unless stated): Laura Brennan; Sadhbh Larkin (Mayo), Kate Hahessy (Waterford), Grace Sheridan (Galway); Tara Breen (Kerry), Rachel O’Connell (Tipperary), Laura Cusack (Waterford); Saoirse Moore, Ciara Hughes; Aoife Murray (Waterford), Laura Cleary, Eimear Kiely; Emma Dineen (Kerry), Kate Stack (Kerry), Laura Crowley.

 

ULSTER UNIVERSITY (JORDANSTOWN) (Tyrone unless stated): Naomh Barr; Michaela Morris, Joanne Barrett, Clara Conor (Derry); Aoife Lavery (Derry), Emma Brennan, Blathnaid McLaughlin (Donegal); Meabh Mallon, Tiarna Grimes (Armagh); Sasha Byrne, Aimee Mackin (Armagh), Aoibheann Henderson (Armagh); Grainne Rafferty, Chloe McCaffrey, Blaithin Mackin (Armagh).

 

REFEREE: David Murphy (Dublin)