Glenanne come up just short in semi-final shootout against Lisnagarvey
By Daire Walsh
There was heartbreak for Glenanne in the Men’s Irish Senior Cup Hockey semi-final at Loreto High School on Sunday as they lost 8-7 to reigning champions Lisnagarvey in a tense penalty shootout.
It was a titanic effort by the Tallaght-based outfit throughout the course of the contest and, having trailed during regulation time, a Richard Couse goal ensured they couldn’t be separated from the County Down men at the end of 60 minutes. This set up a battle of wits to decide who would face Monkstown in the showpiece decider and despite rattling the net on no fewer than seven occasions during the shootout, it wasn’t to be for Glenanne in the end.
This was the second game of the weekend for both sides, following their respective victories in the EY Hockey League on Saturday. Whereas Lisnagarvey defeated Monkstown 5-1 at Comber Road, Glenanne recorded a 5-2 win at the expense of Corinthian.
This was the latter’s 10th league triumph of the season and was made possible thanks to two goals apiece from veteran star Shane O’Donoghue and Shannon Boucher. Couse was also on target in this game and given how comprehensive both teams were in these league clashes, it was impossible to determine how Sunday’s action was going to unfold.
Glenanne had a series of penalty corners during the early moment of the contest and with the aforementioned triumvirate proving prominent, they had their sights set on dethroning the Ulster men.
However, Lisnagarvey had their own moments in attack and ultimately broke the deadlock through Jonny Lynch. This threw down the gauntlet to Glenanne, but their response was commendable.
Inside the fourth-quarter, Couse restored parity with his second goal in as many days and this meant that a shootout was required to determine the final outcome.
It was clear that neither side was going to go down without a fight and with both teams executing impressive finishes, it looked like the run-ins could go on for quite a while. In the end, however, it was left for Daniel Nelson to fire home and leave Glenanne just short in their quest for a final spot.