CAMOGIE: ALL-IRL SNR ‘B’ SEMI-FINAL
Goals do trick for Iosagain
Daire Walsh
THE old adage that ‘goals win games’ proved to be the case last Friday evening for Colaiste Iosagain – who reached their second consecutive All-Ireland Schools Senior Camogie ‘B’ Championship final with a gutsy victory against Presentation, Wexford, 3-2 to 1-7.
Following their epic extra-time win against St Joseph’s, Lucan in the Dublin Senior ‘A’ decider a fortnight earlier (4-11 to 3-9), Íosagáin returned to the national stage.
It was an engrossing penultimate round encounter, but thanks to some well-timed three-pointer in Hollymount, the Gaelcholáiste held off the Ailis Neville-inspired Slaneysiders.
Recent history suggested that Íosagáin had a realistic chance of success in this game, after they defeated Limerick’s Hazelwood College at the same stage of the competition in 2017. They subsequently lost out to St Joseph’s, Rochfortbridge in a second-tier showpiece last March, and Ciaran O Murchu’s side are determined to go a step further this year.
It wasn’t always plain sailing for the Booterstown school on Friday, though, as Pres hit the ground running with four unanswered frees from the reliable Neville. Íosagáin had struggled to transfer their industry into accuracy, but their challenge finally came to life in the closing stages of the first half.
Sinéad De Bhuilde was a key figure in their county final triumph, and she brought her side into the reckoning with a 1-2 salvo. With their tails now up, Íosagáin were ready to push on after the resumption.
Thanks to quick-fire goals by Niamh Nic Cormaic (who found the opposition net for the second game in-a-row) and Gráinne Ní Dhrisceoil, they developed a five-point cushion.
However, another brace of Neville scores kept Pres within touching distance, before her outstanding injury-time three-pointer significantly reduced their deficit.
Yet, with De Bhuilde and Nic Cormaic continuing to lead their charge, Íosagáin eventually advanced with a single point to spare (3-2 to 1-7).
They are now free to concentrate on another All-Ireland title shot, which will be against the winners of the other semi-final – between Saint Angela’s, Waterford and Ferrybank CC – on March 3.