Crescent College win 2-1 after penalty shootout
The silverware on offer on the biggest day in Munster Schools Hockey went the way of Crescent College of Limerick following a dramatic victory over Mount Mercy of Cork.
All in all it was a close affair. Mount Mercy had the better of the opening stages, but then Crescent forced their way back into proceedings and found the equalizer.
There was the finest of margins between these two teams. It was a sweet game for Crescent to win, but it also was just a bitter pill to swallow from a Mount Mercy perspective, after they put in a trojan like effort throughout.
Mount Mercy struck in the opening few minutes of the contest to go into the lead and punish a mistake at the back by Crescent.
Aoife O’Driscoll intercepted a pass out from the back by the Limerick side, before darting in to slot the ball into the back of the net from close range.
Crescent responded well to that early concession and they applied large spells of pressure right up until the half time break in search of a leveller.
In the middle of the opening half, Crescent mounted a sustained spell of pressure, but were unable to convert from a series of short corners.
Ciara Buckley was having a solid game for Mount Mercy and she was composed in nullifying the Crescent threat.
It was Mount Mercy who led at the break, with the Cork side showing good discipline and workrate to keep Crescent out, but at this point it was still very much all to play for.
Crescent got an equalizer shortly into the second half. After being played in by Anna Horan, Leah Cleary shimmied her way in through the Mount Mercy defence, before finishing from what was a tight angle.
The Limerick side had their tails up at this stage and they seeked to push on for the win.
Mount Mercy though were holding firm and also had opportunities of their own to secure victory. Leah O’Shea was getting into good positions and looked a threat whenever she got on the ball.
With neither side able to find a winner, the game went into a penalty shootout. Elle Sorenson scored they key Crescent effort, before there were wild celebrations after Amy Aherne stood firm to deny Susy Uniacke’s final Mount Mercy penalty effort.
Amy Aherne: Sarah Barry, Georgia Keane, Eimer Lane, Claudia Griffin, Robyn Leahy, Aoife Hickey, Anna Horan, Sophie Clein, Meadhbh MacNamara, Leah Cleary, Clare O’Meara, Amy O’Byrne, Serena McDermott, Nicole Griffin, Elle Sorenson, Jilly Edwards, Sarah Fitzgerald.
Ciara Buckley: Leah O’Shea, Saoirse Griffin, Amy O’Shea, Siri Forde, Sarah Murphy, Clodagh O’Connor, Enya O’Donoghue, Jane Murphy, Joy O’Kelly, Aoife O’Driscoll, Orlaith Cahalane, Emma O’Driscoll, Susy Uniacke, Lauren Cripps, Saoirse Neville.
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