GLENANNE are the latest Leinster Senior League team faced with the task of putting an end to Loreto's 100 per cent start to the season when they take on the Division One leaders at Belfield tomorrow.
A fortunate 0-0 draw with Trinity gave the Tallaght club some solace last weekend but they still find themselves second from bottom of the table and are already facing the prospect of a season long relegation battle with Clontarf and Maids.
Loreto have loftier ambitions after Mary Barnwell's goal against Railway Union last week (her eighth in five matches) gave them their fifth successive victory of the season. However while Noel Keogh, the coach, will be delighted with his team's perfect start to the campaign, he will be realistic enough to recognise that they have yet to face defending champions Muckross, Old Alexandra and Hermes.
Fourth placed Hermes have already played Muckross and Old Alexandra and face Trinity tomorrow, the team hoping to gatecrash what already looks like a four team chase for the League.
The students' performances and results since the start of the season have had something of a Jekyll and Hyde association - they won their season opener 3-1, lost their second match 4-1, had another 3-1 victory in the third, only to dip again when they failed to score against Glenanne last weekend. Whether or not they can trouble Hermes depends largely on which Trinity team turns up at Belfield.
Maids' 3-0 defeat last week may have been their third in four games but their defence made Hermes work hard for their goals - they may be forced to toil even harder tomorrow when they host Muckross, for whom Mary Logue has hit nine of their 20 goals.
