Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup quarter-finals
UCD 5-18 1-4 MTU Kerry
TU Dublin 2-15 2-11 UL
TUD’s Sean Jones and Jordan Morris starred, while UCD also booked their place in the last four of the Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup in more comfortable fashion.
Monaghan’s Jones opened TUD’s account with a beauty, fresh from a bench appearance against Cavan at the weekend, with Morris and a Danny McCartan double putting them three clear with efforts from play.
Jack Lundy’s effort from way out right left UL 0-5 0-1 behind, as Cian O’Grady and Conall Dawson eventually stopped the rot before McHale’s second free had the lead back to the minimum.
A poor effort from Darragh Cashman dropped short, but quick reactions and fast hands saw Sean McDonnell slot home an unlikely goal to make it TUD 0-5 1-4 UL.
A huge Jack McCabe score from range kept the Limerick men two clear after Conor Fee replied for the home side in Grangegorman, with Morris and Jones again pointing to level matters.
Colm Basquel kicked the last score of the half, interestingly TUD’s first from a dead ball, as they went in ahead at the interval.
An even few minutes at the start of the latter half saw both sides add to their tally, before Jones rattled the bottom right corner with an arrowed finish.
Sean Hannafin created a four-point lead with a clipped score, with Mayo’s Frank Irwin, a late starter, replying for UL.
Jones’ tally was 1-3 by the time TUD opened up a 1-13 1-9 lead, and it was he who won a 52nd minute penalty that Lundy converted, but McDonnell replied with a close-range soccer-style finish of his own.
Jack Fallon made a seemingly dead encounter a three-point game with five to play, but scores from Joe Prendergast and Morris sealed it
With Cuala’s All-Ireland winner Peter Duffy back at centre-field, favourites UCD looked primed to book a semi-final slot.
Laois goalie Killian Roche is among those juggling with a switch in rules from the Allianz League back to the Sigerson Cup, but his two scores inside the opening quarter cancelled out a Darragh O’Connor brace after Diarmuid Moriarty landed the opener.
Offaly star Cormac Egan slotted home a 24th minute goal to give the hosts breathing space, and that kickstarted a run of 1-4 with no reply.
Scotstown’s Ryan O’Toole hit the fourth of those, as UCD led 1-9 0-4 at half-time in Belfield, and it got ugly from there for the Munster outfit.
Ben O’Carroll was introduced from the bench, and he beat MTU keeper Conor Melia with a goal shortly after Egan had grabbed his second major.
Daire Cregg and Diarmuid Moriarty were among those to raise a series of white flags, along with Leitrim’s Barry McNulty as the deficit grew to 21 points with the second half just 10 minutes old.
Another Leitrim man, Paul Honeyman, hit UCD’s fourth goal just after Keith Evans scored a consolation at the other end.