There were goals galore in the Computershare Leinster first division on Saturday with Loreto, Pembroke Wanderers and UCD scoring 20 between them in their opening league matches of the season. Defending Ulster and Munster champions, Pegasus and Cork Harlequins, also had a fruitful weekend, registering comfortable wins over Belfast Harlequins and UCC respectively.
Loreto, though, were the day's top scorers, with hat-tricks from Cathy McKean and Sarah Scott helping them to a 9-0 victory over Railway Union at Park Avenue, with Aoife Pomeroy, Nikki Lyons and Emma Walkin completing the scoring. Railway coach Denise McCarthy, who described Loreto as "brilliant", could only find solace in the fact that the teams will meet just once more this season. Unless, of course, they're drawn in the cup.
Railway succeeded in keeping Loreto scoreless for the last 15 minutes of their match and carried that spirit into yesterday's game against UCD. With four minutes to go they looked on course for a point when Jean McDonnell finally broke their resistance. That win made it six points out of six for UCD over the weekend following Saturday's 5-0 victory over Trinity. Goals from Irish under-21 internationals Linda O'Neill (two) and Catherine Murray helped give Ger Butler, the newly appointed Leinster under-21 coach, victory over his father Fintan, the Trinity coach, in the "Battle of the Butlers".
Jan Perrin and Trish Conway, meanwhile, got Old Alexandra's goals in their 2-0 win over Corinthians, while two goals from Viv Doran on her league debut for Pembroke Wanderers sent them on their way to a 6-0 win away to Glenanne. Pembroke's seconds made it a successful weekend for the club by knocking Genesis out of the Leinster Senior Cup yesterday, beating them 2-1 at Rathdown.
Irish internationals Claire McMahon and Pamela Magill helped Pegasus get their campaign off to an emphatic start by scoring three between them in a 6-1 win over Belfast Harlequins, avenging last season's 3-2 defeat by the same opposition. Pegasus led 5-1 by half-time with two goals from McMahon and one each from Magill, Kim Mills and Jeanette Gordon before Kerry Hiles made it six from a penalty corner near the end.
