Seamus Carroll
Sigerson Cup Results
IT Sligo 3-13 GMIT 2-7
**Garda College 0-8 CIT 0-3 **
By Gavin Cawley
The final preliminary round matches of this year’s Sigerson Cup were played out today as IT Sligo and **Garda College **advanced at the expense of GMIT and CIT.
IT Sligo’s achievement in doing so is all the more laudable considering they played 35 minutes of their match with 14 men after corner back Philip Nielan saw red after a second yellow-card offence.
Kevin McBrearty opened the scoring for the Sligo college but hosts GMIT then took control of the match as they scored four points on the bounce including a brace from Offaly's Cian Donohue to go move three ahead.
IT Sligo quickly drew level on the 12 minute of the match though when Mayo's James Shaughnessy found the back of the net for the opening goal of the match. Shaughnessy was just getting warmed up, and would finish the game with a tally of 1-6 to his name.
The first-half of the match was an entertaining end to end contest as Joseph Donnellan scored the first of his two goals for the Galway side but IT Sligo quickly responded with a salvo of 1-1 from Bryan Walsh in the space of the minute.
Nielan saw red just before half-time, but IT Sligo still managed to take a 2-5 to 1-6 lead into the dressing-room.
GMIT got back on terms early in the second-half when Donnellan found the back of the net again, but thereafter their challenge faltered.
IT Sligo ensured passage to the next round against current champions UCD when two Donegal senior panellists combined for IT Sligo's third goal as Eoin Ban Gallagher played the ball into Jamie Brennan who found the back of the net. IT Sligo then scored five points without reply to add further gloss to the final scoreline.
Templemore was the venue for today's second Sigerson game as the Garda College faced CIT.
The windy conditions meant scores were hard to come by, but the home side did lead at the break 0-3 to 0-1 thanks to a point by Clare's Eoin Cleary and brace from Thomas McDaniel.
The home side went from strength to strength in the second-half as they scored four points on the bounce with Seamus Carroll of Limerick and Carlow’s Brendan Murphy among the scorers.
CIT did get two consolation points one of which came from Kevin Fahey but at that stage the game had gone away from the Cork side.
The Garda College now progress to play Ryan Cup champions UUJ.
