Old Alexandra remain on course to retain the Coca Cola Leinster Senior Cup after they beat Hermes 2-1 at Grange Road yesterday in one semi-final. Loreto II will provide the opposition in the final on St Patrick's Day following their extra time win over fellow Senior B side Clontarf.
Clontarf goalkeeper Fiona Dowling was the outstanding player in the day's first semi-final, producing a wonderful display to deny Loreto II a goal until the fifth minute of extra time, the game's only score.
Dowling pulled off a succession of superb saves, but was ably abetted by Jacqui Lewis, Lynn Adams, Heidi Kelly and Eva Lawlor.
Gillian Dawson finally provided the breakthrough in extra time, turning home, with a first time touch, a pass from midfield but Loreto II had to survive a late scare when Lawlor's penalty corner strike went agonisingly close.
The day's second semi-final was your proverbial `game of two halves'. In the first Old Alexandra dominated with some excellent hockey, played at a lightening pace, and by half-time led by 2-0, courtesy of two glorious pieces of finishing from Trish Conway.
The opening goal came in the 13th minute when Conway steered, with the deftest of touches, a cross from the right past Sarah Hilliard in the Hermes goal and the second, 10 minutes before the break, came when she rifled a shot home from the left of the circle after a penalty corner had broken down.
From early in the second half Hermes took control of the game but had to wait until 14 minutes from time before pulling a goal back, when Aisling Keane scored from a corner.
While Hermes continued to press, the goal also appeared to strengthen Alexandra's resolve and they held out, in a repeat of their 2-1 win over Hermes in last year's final.
In Ulster there was an upset in the quarter-finals of the Shield when Section one leaders Collegians lost 2-1 to Queen's University. Holders Pegasus, however, beat Omagh 6-1.
UCC, meanwhile, slipped up in the Munster League when they could only draw 2-2 with Harlequins II but Church of Ireland kept their hopes of reaching an end-of-season title play-off alive when they beat Lansdowne 3-2.
