After suffering a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Old Alexandra in their first game of the season, UCD recovered last weekend to give a glimpse of their potential when they first beat a young Muckross side 8-0 before causing an upset in the Leinster Senior Cup by eliminating Pembroke Wanderers with a Jill Kelly goal in extra time.

This weekend, though, Ger Butler's team face the ultimate test when they come up against defending champions Loreto and leaders Hermes at Belfield in the space of two days. Last season UCD finished a creditable sixth place in Senior A after winning promotion, but while Hermes proved too strong for the students in both their meetings they were one of only three teams to take points off Loreto when they drew 2-2 in October with the eventual champions. "The Pembroke result has given us all a big boost going in to this weekend, confidence is really high," said UCD's Ciara O'Brien. "We know how tough it will be playing Loreto and Hermes, they're two of the strongest teams in the country, so we have to be realistic about the games - anything we take from them will be a bonus.

"Last year we finished sixth so we're just hoping to improve on that, and maybe, if we can string a few good results together, make it in to the top four," added O'Brien, a contender for a place in this season's Irish senior squad, now that her under-21 international career has come to an end. Having played all her hockey in midfield at schools level and for Railway Union, O'Brien was switched to defence when she joined UCD last season. "Ger decided to play me at the back, and although it was strange at first because I'd only ever played in midfield now I'm really enjoying it. You have a lot of freedom and can have a big influence on the game."

Meanwhile, in Ulster another college side is having a fine start to the season. The University of Ulster have won two of their first three games in Section One, where they are playing for the first time after winning the Section Two title last season. This weekend they play Knock, and a victory would help them keep in touch with joint leaders Pegasus, Portadown and Belfast Harlequins.