Connacht make Ulster pay the penalty in historic hockey win

The Connacht U21 hockey team travelled to the Sport Ireland Complex in Abbotstown to face Ulster in the second of their interprovincial games of the season last Sunday week. Having narrowly lost 1-0 to Leinster in September, the Connacht girls were out to make their mark on the tournament and get points on the board. And they duly did so, defeating Ulster for the first time.

Former Athlone Hockey Club players, twin sisters Allie and Robyn Heatherington and Megan Clinton played for Connacht on the day, while current Athlone players Emma Flannery, Cara Fitzpatrick and Eva Fitzpatrick are part of the extended Connacht training squad.

The Connacht U21 head coach, Jennifer Hyde plays with the Athlone club as does Connacht physio Sarah Lawless.

Ulster are typically very tough opposition at all age groups. After the first quarter the sides remained equal at nil all. Early in the second quarter Connacht won a penalty corner. Enter University Galway player Hannah Kelly who stepped up to strike at the top of the circle and she didn't disappoint, hammering the ball into the bottom corner. Against the odds Connacht were 1-0 up and dominating.

A momentary lapse in communication gave Ulster the opportunity to break even and they did just that, placing the ball in the back of the net just five minutes after Connacht had taken the lead. Half-time came and gave both sides a welcome reprieve.

Ulster are coached by Ireland's most capped female player Shirley McCay and Connacht knew the Ulster girls would come out fighting. The opportunity to regroup paid off and Connacht got off to a strong start once again. Aoife Quinn, Ciara Dunne and Megan Clinton worked tirelessly in midfield to turn over possession and close down Ulster. The midfield trio are all just 18 years of age and showed experience beyond their years. As did Camille Keane who, at just 18, also really made her mark on the game.

Towards the end of the third quarter, Connacht vice captain Sarah Holmes picked up the ball on the halfway line. She made a strong run through the heart of the Ulster defence and sent a crash ball into forward Ailbhe Folan, who made no mistake in finding the target. Another of Connacht's young players, Ailbhe is also only 18 but showed no signs of nerves.

Connacht went ahead for the second time, and the end of the quarter gave the players and management a couple of minutes to gather their thoughts.

The Connacht side, on the verge of making history, now had something to fight for. The score remained at 2-1 for much of the final quarter. The Connacht defensive unit of Mary Rooney, Emma Dillon, Robyn Heatherington, Isolde Moran and Amy Keenan were resolute. They faced an onslaught of Ulster attacking short corners and protected the Connacht goal at all costs.

Some harsh umpiring in the dying minutes of the game saw two Connacht players sin-binned, meaning Connacht had eight outfield players versus Ulster's ten for period of time. Unfortunately this gave Ulster an opportunity to equalise and the full-time score of 2-2 meant the game went to penalty shuttles.

Unlike other sports, a penalty shuttle in hockey is a one-on-one with the goalkeeper where the outfield player has eight seconds to score. A much harder task than it sounds particularly when it's in an interpro game with so much on the line. Five players from each team took their turns to step forward.

Holly Comer had the unenviable task of being in goals for Connacht. She too is just 18 but for someone so young, she has been on the hockey scene for quite a while . The five penalty takers for Connacht were team captain Robyn Heatherington, Ciara Dunne, Allie Heatherington, Hannah Kelly and Ailbhe Folan. It came down to the final penalty. Comer stayed on her feet biding her time and forcing the Ulster player wide of the target. The Connacht U21s had beaten Ulster for the first time in the history of the U21 tournament.

Connacht head coach Jennifer Hyde stated that she always had the self-belief that her team could win the game.

"I'm so unbelievably proud to coach these girls for a second year running. To see them come together as a squad embracing new players and everything we're working on is just so rewarding," said Jennifer.

"These girls have proven that anything is possible. They have minimal training facilities and no sponsorship unlike other provinces. They even contribute towards the cost of their own training sessions. For their hard work to be rewarded with wins like this makes it all worthwhile."

Looking forward to Connacht's next game against Munster in Limerick, Jennifer said it will be "another tough game", but added, "we're here to win and not make up the numbers so we're ready for it".