"It was just a wee lift," said Jackie McWilliams, modestly describing her beautifully taken goal that helped Randalstown on their way to knocking holders Hermes out of the Sharwood's-sponsored Irish Senior Cup on Saturday. That result, along with victories for Collegians over Muckross and Pegasus over Trinity, proved that Ulster's leading club sides are just as formidable as ever.
"I think we deserved it, we were the better team today," said McWilliams in what was an accurate assessment of Randalstown's 2-1 defeat of an out-of-sorts Hermes at Belfield. McWilliams opened the scoring for the Ulster league champions in the 17th minute with a perfectly measured effort from a short corner that looped over Tara Browne's head. Jenny Burke, set up by Daphne Sixsmith, equalised in the 55th minute but the goal came against the run of play, with the outstanding Fiona Manning in midfield, Helen Kilroy at sweeper and Browne in goal keeping the cup holders in the match. Just four minutes after Burke's goal Carolyn Burns converted a cross from McWilliams to earn Randals town's win.
Earlier, at the same venue, Pegasus proved much too strong for a Trinity side playing their fourth match in seven days. The students held the Belfast team scoreless until the 25th minute but when Jeanette Turner, the recently retired Irish captain, scored, the floodgates opened. Kim Mills, Turner again and Nadine Long made it 4-0 before Una Budd converted a penalty stroke for Trinity in the 66th minute. Just seconds from the end Claire McMahon rounded off a 51 victory with a solo effort that began in her own half.
The weekend's biggest shock came at the Olympia Leisure Centre where Suzanne Beaney's 55th minute goal gave Collegians a 1-0 victory over Muckross, last season's beaten finalists. Loreto and Old Alexandra, however, had more successful trips north - Loreto beat Coleraine 5-1 at the University of Ulster, with Elaine Goddard scoring twice, while Old Alex drew 1-1 with Ulster league leaders Ards. Trish Conway gave the Leinster team the lead after four minutes, Pamela Chittick equalised 10 minutes later and extra-time failed to separate the teams. The winners of the replay face Loreto on January 10th.
Caroline O'Leary set up a quarter-final clash with Randalstown when she scored the only goal of the game between Glenanne and Victorians in Belfast, a superb result for the Leinster team.
A 3-2 victory over Yeats County in Enniskillen, after extra time, earned Belvedere a trip to Belfast to take on Pegasus in the last eight while UCC will be travelling north again to play Collegians after their 2-1 win over Portadown. The students' eight hour coach trip, that saw them arrive back in Cork at midnight on Saturday, was at least a happy one after goals from EJ Walsh and Aoife McCarthy completed a second-half comeback.
