John Heslin
INDEPENDENT.IE SIGERSON CUP SEMI-FINAL: UCD 4-12 UL 1-9
By Orla Bannon
UCD are through to Saturday's Sigerson Cup decider after a one-sided semi-final rout of University Limerick in Belfast. It's their first Sigerson final in 13 years and they are now one win away from a first title in 20 years.
The star-studded Dublin college did all the damage in the opening quarter and scored 2-5 without reply in the first 16 minutes before UL even got on the scoreboard.
Tipp's Liam Casey scored a second minute goal, swivelling onto his left foot to score low into the far corner to set the tone for what was to come. Laois' Eoin Lowry scored the best goal of the game, running through a porous Limerick defence to fire a spectacular rocket across the goalkeeper after 13 minutes.
Dublin star Paul Mannion was lively early on and easily found room to hit two points from play, with Westmeath star John Heslin nailing four frees to inflict more misery on the Limerick side.
Aidan Roan finally got them on the board with an 18th minute point but it was temporary respite, Kildare's Niall Kelly drilling home the first of his two goals in the 20th minute after an unselfish pass from Heslin.
Mannion chipped over the last point of the half, leaving John Divilly's side coasting 3-9 to 0-2 ahead at the interval.
UL had the wind in the second half and with UCD running their bench, taking off Jack McCaffrey and Mannion, they were at least able to make a better game of it after the break.
Kerry's Brian Ó Sé was on target from play and from dead balls, nailing a '45' and a free, with Kevin Moore also scoring in the third quarter. Niall Kelly grabbed his second goal after intercepting a poor pass to the UL goalkeeper in the 48th minute.
Galway's Ian Burke scored UL's only goal in the 54th minute with a low left-footed finish, but then missed an injury-time penalty which might have restored some respectability to the scoreboard.
Scorers for UCD: N Kelly 2-0, J Heslin 0-5 (4f), L Casey 1-1, E Lowry 1-1 (1 '45'), P Mannion 0-3 (1f), C McCarthy 0-1, T Moolick 0-1
Scorers for UL: B Ó Sé 0-4 (1f, 1 '45'), I Burke 1-0, D Daly 0-2, A Roan 0-1, R Deane 0-1, K Moore 0-1 (1f)
**UCD: **E Keogh (Laois); R Wylie (Monaghan), D Hyland (Kildare), M Fitzsimons (Dublin); S O'Dea (Limerick), D Byrne (Dublin), J McCaffrey (Dublin); J Barry (Kerry), L Casey (Tipperary); N Kelly (Kildare), J McEntee (Meath), C McCarthy (Monaghan); J Heslin (Westmeath); E Lowry (Laois), P Mannion (Dublin). Subs: N McInerney (Roscommon) for McCaffrey (15), S Coen (Mayo) for Hyland (HT), P Kingston (Laois) for McCarthy (HT), R Carr (Louth) for Mannion (40), T Moolick (Kildare) for Kelly (51).
UL: C O'Driscoll (Cork); E Kelly (Kerry), C Long (Kerry), P O'Connor (Kerry); A Roan (Longford), D Daly (Kerry), F Boland (Mayo); G Hegarty (Limerick), R Deane (Cork); D Neville (Limerick), S Killoran (Roscommon), C Sheehan (Limerick); I Burke (Galway), K Moore (Limerick), B O Se (Kerry).** Subs: **D Larkin (Wexford) for Hegarty (20), P White (Limerick) for F Boland (22), L Boland (Tipperary) for Larkin (BC, 26), S Naughton (Limerick) for Moore (44), C O'Dea (Limerick) for Killoran (45), N Donovan (Tipperary) for Daly (51)
**Referee: **Ciaran Branagan (Down)
