Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup quarter-final: Ulster University 0-12 Maynooth University 0-10
LATE points from Lorcan McGarrity and top-scorer Conor Cush were enough for holders Ulster University to grind their way out of this arm-wrestle and into today’s Sigerson Cup semi-final draw.
The sides were level eight times in this tight encounter and when Meath’s Eoghan Frayne kicked his fifth point of the day in the 60th minute, extra-time was on the cards.
Twice Maynooth led by two points in the first half but it was a nip-and-tuck game all the way to the finish.
“It was just a monumental battle and we knew it would be,” said UU manager Barry Dillon.
“We played them in the semi-final last year, down in Inniskeen and that was a dogged match as well.”
This year’s version was a game of contrasting halves for the visitors. Their shooting was almost unerring when they made use of the breeze in the first half, with Frayne their chief marksman.
Level 0-7 each at the break, UU pushed ahead with a Ciarán Daly score seconds after the restart, but it was Maynooth who took a hold of proceedings. But, while they had possession, they lacked a cutting edge to ask any proper questions.
With the home defence holding them outside the percentage scoring area into the wind, Maynooth managed a meagre two points from nine shots.
Kerry’s Luke Crowley did manage two second-half points but Barry Dillon’s side were always able to conjure a response during the final quarter.
With the wind favouring kicks from the left wing, two sweet Frayne scores had Maynooth ticking early on, with Paddy McDermott also on target.
UU captain Ryan Magill sliced a sweet point and Derry’s Eoin McEvoy got forward to finish a neat score into the wind to level matters at 0-3 each.
Points from Frayne and O’Hare put Maynooth two ahead at stages in the second quarter. When they forced a turnover, they were able to score on the break.
When Josh Largo Elis won the first Maynooth kick-out of the half, Cush kicked a fine score from play.
It was Fionan O’Brien who had the final act of the first half with a score on the overlap to level matters at 0-7 each.
When Daly edged UU ahead early in the second half, they failed to push on.
Maynooth had the monopoly of possession in the third quarter but failed to make it count on the scoreboard.
UU were never behind since a Cush equaliser late in the first half but the game was destined for extra-time until McGarrity broke the deadlock in stoppage time.
“We had the impact from the bench too, it was massive,” Dillon added.
“Michael Hamill came on there and got a couple of great big balls and really drove at them.
“We panicked for 10 minutes there in the second half. We had a lot of possession but we rushed shots and things like that, which was surprising. That aspect of our game was disappointing.”
In the end, the game hung on the passage of play after Maynooth’s late equaliser.
“McElholm got on the ball and beat a man, something nobody was really doing at that stage. He took responsibility, put it through to Lorcan McGarrity and he put it over.”
Dillon was happy with the spirit of his side, how they hung tough and made the correct decisions on the ball when the game headed into the crucial final moments.
“It’s the thing we’re most proud of to be honest,” Dillon said of their spirit.
“I know you can win things but the culture, it has been something we have talked about.”
DCU fought off a gallant TUS Midlands by 4-13 to 3-13 in a thrilling quarter-final last night to become the last team to reach the semi-finals.
DCU can’t meet UCD due in the last four due to a prior meeting in the 2025 competition, so they will face with Ulster University or TU Dublin.
The semi-finals will be played next week.
UU R McGeehin; D Curran, L Kelly, F O’Brien (0-1); J Largo Elis (0-1), E McEvoy (0-1), D Magill; O Murdock, O McCann; C Diamond, E Mulholland, R Magill (0-1); C Daly (0-1), D Fullerton; C Cush (0-6, 5f)
Subs M Hamill for Mulholland (35), L McGarrity (0-1) for Fullerton (35), E McElholm for Daly (43), C O’Neill for Diamond (43), R McCaffrey for Magill (52)
Maynooth E Sheehan; R Burke (0-1), T McPhillips, B O’Halloran; S O’Hare (0-1), T Moran, J Harris ; C Gray, C Duke; P McDermott (0-1), E Frayne (0-5, 2f), S Emmanuel; L Crowley (0-2), H Plunkett, K McArdle
Subs R Teahan for Emmanuel (58)
Yellow cards C Gray (57), S O’Hare (63)
Referee S Hurson (Tyrone)