Loreto and Pegasus went stride for stride at the top of the women’s EY Hockey League as they recorded hard fought wins over Old Alex and Cork Harlequins respectively on Saturday on day six of the competition.
For Loreto, they trailed at half-time against Alex to an early Emma Russell goal but world cup stars Hannah Matthews and Ali Meeke both scored for the second week running to nick a 2-1 win result.
Pegasus were forced to soak up a huge amount of pressure in Cork but two early Taite Doherty goals put them on course for a 4-2 success. Cliodhna Sargent pulled one back from the penalty spot but Shirley McCay made it 3-1 in similar style.
Emily O’Leary popped home Quins second of the day with still over half an hour to play but player of the match Alex Speers won it with some superb close-in skills with 12 minutes to go.
UCD moved back up to third place with a 3-1 win over Pembroke. First half goals from Michelle Carey and Nina Heisterkamp set them rolling before Pembroke pushed them back in the third quarter, Sinead Loughran making 2-1.
However, Leah McGuire was having an excellent game in the UCD defence and she crowned the win with a penalty corner strike.
That win saw them jump ahead of Belfast Harlequins who had beaten Ards 3-1 in midweek to move into the top three as Jenny McAuley and Lizzie Colvin scored in the last five minutes.
Railway Union put daylight between themselves and the relegation places with a 2-0 win over Muckross. Hannah de Burgh Whyte’s eighth minute corner put them in front early on before Katie Fearson sealed the points, bundling home Kate Lloyd’s cross in the second half.
EY Hockey League
Wednesday: Belfast Harlequins 3 (J Watt, J McAuley, L Colvin) Ards 1 (C Adams)
Saturday: Cork Harlequins 2 (C Sargent, E O’Leary) Pegasus 4 (T Doherty 2, A Speers, S McCay); Muckross 0 Railway Union 2 (H de Burgh Whyte, K Fearon); Old Alexandra 1 (E Russell) Loreto 2 (A Meeke, H Matthews); UCD 3 (M Carey, N Heisterkamp, L McGuire) Pembroke 1 (S Loughran)
Next Saturday’s fixtures (November 17): Cork Harlequins v Muckross, 1.05pm, Farmers’ Cross; Ards v Pembroke, 2.30pm, Londonderry Park; Loreto v Belfast Harlequins, 2.50pm, Three Rock Rovers; UCD v Railway Union, 2.50pm, Belfield; Pegasus v Old Alex, 4pm, Queens
