Maynooth University let half time lead slip against UCD
Kildare's Callum Bolton captained UCD to victory over Maynooth University in the Sigerson Cup Photo: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
A Maynooth University team featuring seven of Brian Flanagan’s Kildare senior panel seemed well set for victory when leading by five points after 35 minutes of this Sigerson Cup Round 2 clash at Belfield, but the home side took complete command from there to the end to clinch their place in the Quarter Finals.
UCD had two Kildare men in action as well with Callum Bolton captaining them and Michael Spillane in defence, and the Sarsfields player’s magnificent two-pointer to level matters on 44 minutes proved a crucial score, though the real match-settler was wing-back Sam Callinan’s goal six minutes from the end of an entertaining encounter.
The Kildare contingent had their shooting boots on with 2-9 of Maynooth’s 2-14 coming from Eoin Cully (1-3), Aaron Browne (0-5), James Harris (1-0) and Luke Killian (0-1) but in defence the North Kildare university looked at sea somewhat and eventually UCD’s pacey attack proved too strong for them.
Maynooth dominated possession in the opening half with Meath duo Conor Gray and Charlie O’Connor, augmented by Sallins man Killian giving them a platform around midfield. They hit the front after six minutes when centre-back Harris stole forward to finish superbly to the net.
They led by 1-3 to 0-2 by the tenth minute but Cian Burke’s kickouts came under a spell of intense pressure with the Dublin college nabbing 2-3 in the space of just four minutes at the end of the first quarter. Dublin’s Joe Quigley finished the first to the net and Darragh Reilly the second to give UCD a firm grip with a 2-5 to 1-3 lead.
Maynooth hit back, though, with an O’Connor two-pointer and Cully’s second point of the game and when UCD goalkeeper Ben McCarron failed to clear the 20-metre line with a kickout Cully was on hand to palm home after the resultant free-kick had been retrieved at the back post.
Browne’s first point and a superb Harry Plunkett score helped Maynooth into a 2-8 to 2-6 lead at the interval and Browne added three more points including a two-point free after the break to give them that comfortable-looking five-point gap.
But it would be fourteen minutes before they scored again, through Browne once more and by that stage UCD had gone ahead 2-12 to 2-11 thanks to Quigley (two), Niall Hurley (two frees) and Bolton’s two-pointer, scored under immense pressure.
Browne’s equaliser was followed by a Cully snapshot, another superb score under pressure to give Maynooth the lead with nine minutes left but, after Hurley equalised from play, Ryan Burke was turned over to leave a gaping hole in their defence and despite a couple of heroic blocks, wing-back Callinan was on hand to net the game’s crucial score.
Meath substitute Michael McIvor game UCD breathing space with a fine two-pointer and although Maynooth counterpart Luke Crowley fired over a point in response, the home side rounded off the scoring with Hurley’s sixth point to send them into the last eight with five to spare.
The Kildare university now go into a losers’ knockout round in their own attempt to reach the Quarter Finals.
Elsewhere, Darragh Swords scored a point and played the full game for DCU as the holders were beaten by University Limerick.
Sean Hanafin scored 1-2 and Jack Rodgers was in goal as TU Dublin beat MTU Kerry by 3-21 to 2-10.
Ben McCarron (Carlow); Michael Spillane (Kildare), Oisín O’Toole (Longford); Diarmuid Duffy (Mayo); Liam Smith (Dublin), Darragh Varley (Galway), Sam Callinan (Mayo) 1-0; Theo Clancy (Dublin), Peter Duffy (Dublin) 0-1; Mark McNally (Dublin), Callum Bolton (Kildare) 0-2 (tp), Luke Breathnach (Dublin) 0-1; Darragh Reilly (Mayo) 1-1, Joe Quigley (Dublin) 1-3, Niall Hurley (Mayo) 0-6 (4fs). Subs: Rian McConnell (Meath) for McNally 40, Ruairí Martin (Wexford) for Spillane 44, Paddy Moran (Longford) for Reilly 46, Michael McIvor (Meath) 0-2 (tp) for P Duffy 53.
Cian Burke (Kildare); Rob Fitzgerald (Kildare), Ryan Burke (Kildare), Brian O’Halloran (Meath); Dan Scahill (Westmeath), James Harris (Kildare) 1-0, Ciaran Daly (Westmeath); Conor Gray (Meath), Charlie O’Connor (Meath) 0-3 (tp); Conor Duke (Meath), Aaron Browne (Kildare) 0-5 (1tpf), Luke Killian (Kildare) 0-1; Shane Walsh (Roscommon), Harry Plunkett (Offaly) 0-1, Eoin Cully (Kildare) 1-3. Subs: Luke Crowley (Kerry) 0-1 for Walsh 40, Jake Darcy (Laois) for Fitzgerald 46, Daire Finn (Dublin) for Plunkett 51, Jake Hardy (Wicklow) for O’Connor 59, Seán Greene (Laois) for Daly 60+1.
Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).
