UL 0-8 DCU 1-14
UL exited the Sigerson Cup following a 1-14 to 0-8 defeat against defending champions DCU at Pitch 1 in UL in their preliminary round clash.
The Limerick side trailed 0-7 to 0-3 at half-time and a second half Dean Rock goal killed off their challenge.
Despite the breezy and sometimes rainy conditions, there was a decent turnout for the match, which saw Donegal star Michael Murphy open the scoring with a pointed free for DCU.
A feisty opening few minutes saw players from both teams booked and scores hard to come by, but DCU gradually got into their rhythm and stretched their lead to 0-5 without reply by the 15-minute mark, Murphy sending over another free in addition to a Philly Ryan brace and a Michael Quinn score.
Even allowing for the unfavourable weather and the undoubted quality of their opponents, UL took a while to get going and careless surrendering of possession didn’t help their cause. It wasn’t until the 20th minute that they registered on the scoreboard, Paul Conroy setting them in motion.
DCU hit two wides before Alan Moloney got UL’s second point of the game, but with half-time approaching Quinn and Murphy edged DCU further in front. UL’s Paul Whyte opened his account just before the break to leave the half-time score at 0-7 to 0-3.
Murphy’s accuracy from placed balls continued into the second half as he sent over a ’45 before Whyte, UL’s main attacking threat, got his second point of the afternoon.
UL had been keeping in touch at that stage but a blitz of points from Dean Rock, Paul Flynn and Murphy opened up a seven-point gap. UL were almost in for a goal in the 43rd minute but Conroy’s shot was parried over the bar by DCU goalkeeper Conor Boyle.
Three minutes later the difference between the teams was hammered home when a DCU free was dropped just in front of the UL square and Rock got on the end of it to finish to the net.
Another Ryan point made it 1-12 to 0-5 and it was now a long way back for the home side. At least they could claim the outstanding score of the day when Whyte pointed a sideline ball from a rather tight angle.
With DCU emptying the bench towards the end of the game there was little in the way of excitement at the finish. Both teams notched two further points, although UL again came close to grabbing a goal two minutes from time, only for Boyle to pull off another excellent save.
DCU ultimately ran out nine-point winners and they were operating at a different level to their opponents, but UL had drawn the short straw in meeting the holders in the preliminary round and in Paul Whyte they have a decent prospect.
UL: Rory Byrne; Niall Fitzgerald, Thomas Clancy, Luke Mulligan; Dean Ryan, David Dolan, Brian McGuire; David Niblock (Capt), Kevin Canty; Alan Moloney (0-1), Liam McGovern, Paul Whyte (0-4, 1 s/l); John O’Rourke, Paul Conroy (0-2), Ed Walsh.
Subs: Fionn Fitzgerald for N Fitzgerald (19 mins), Shane O’Callaghan for Walsh, Denis Keohane (0-1) for McGovern, Barry John Walsh for Canty (all 43 mins), Gavin Ryan for Dolan (56 mins).
DCU: Conor Boyle; William Lowry, Jonathan Cooper, Jack Smith; James McCarthy, Jack Brady, Michael Quinn (0-2); Fiontan O Curraoin (0-1), Craig Dunleavy; Paul Flynn (Capt) (0-1), Brian Donnelly, William Hender-Phillips; Dean Rock (1-1), Michael Murphy (0-5, 3f, 1 ’45), Philly Ryan (0-4).
Subs: Jack McCarron for Donnelly (h-t), Peter O’Hanlon for Smith (46 mins) Conor Daly for Hender-Phillips (51 mins), Michael McCarthy for Rock, Gary Sweeney for J McCarthy (both 54 mins).
