Hannon helps end 22-year drought | Stephen Barry
Sligo IT 0UCC 0UCC win 4-3 on pensUCC won the WSCAI ladies soccer Intervarsity for the first time in 22 years after a come-from-behind 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory. That came after two hours of football yielded no goals as the hosts failed to add the Intervarsity Cup to their Premier Division title.Katie Hannon was the hero for UCC in the end. It took a fingertip save from Hannon to bring the game to penalties, as she saved from a Maria Harrington volley in the dying minutes of extra-time. Then the goalkeeper saved Kim Flood’s effort to tie the shoot-out at three all. Hannon then went to the spot herself and converted UCC’s fifth kick before Emma Hansbery shot wide with her attempt to bring it to sudden death.With reigning champions Carlow IT not taking part, UCC and Sligo charged through the group stages. The Cork women beat DCU with a brace from Yvonne Cahill and a single from Colleen Bouchard. Bouchard then got the double as UCC completed a hard-fought 3-1 victory over UUJ; Emily White grabbing the other goal. Sligo meanwhile put five goals without reply past both CIT and Maynooth to set up a semi-final berth alongside UCD, which they won 3-0.UCC faced the tough task of UL in the semis and were again thankful to Hannon for a pair of early saves as UL pressed. However a penalty from Cahill just before the break turned the game and Kate Sheehan sealed the victory.From the first whistle of Saturday’s final the game went from one end to the other; Bouchard was blocked by Flood when through on the Sligo goal and Deirdre Doherty shot over the Hannon’s crossbar.However Sligo began to dominate as Geraldine McLaughlin’s shot was blocked by Zoe Murphy for a corner, from which Doherty rattled the crossbar with a rasping shot.An excellent tackle from Patrice Kearney prevented Sligo’s Aileen Gilroy from shooting when close to goal as the sides went in level at half time.UCC came out the stronger in the second half with Bouchard and Walsh going close but failing to test Róisín McCafferty. Yet as the game became a real battle, Sligo were the ones to exert the late pressure; Murphy having to block Gilroy’s shot before Doherty’s curler just missed the top corner.In extra-time UCC had the more chances, with Bouchard the most threatening, but it came down to a crucial save from Hannon to set the platform for her shoot-out heroics.That win marks a turnaround in the fortunes of another of UCC’s ladies teams; the college’s ladies footballers ended their own 22-year dry spell in the O’Connor Cup last March so it was appropriate that the soccer side would take their title in their 22nd year of drought.The win also came on the back of UCC finishing top of the Futsal Regional tournament in the Mardyke. Irish U19 International Lauren Murphy got the vital goal in a 1-0 win over WIT in the decider
