Loreto 2; Hermes 2: AET: Loreto won 3-1 on penalties.They'd like to believe they won't have to wait another 42 years to win the Sharwood's Irish Senior Cup but if they do, Loreto's celebrations after Saturday's triumph over Hermes will, by then, probably just be winding down.
Their 3-1 win on penalty strokes, after a thrilling 2-2 draw, puts Loreto through to next season's European Cup Winners' Cup, the first time in the club's history they have qualified for European competition.
Having lost twice to Hermes in the past three weeks Loreto went in to this final knowing they had to lift their game immeasurably if they were to have any hope of success. They did just that, but only after the worst of possible starts when they went a goal down on seven minutes, an alert Deirdre McDermott forcing home the rebound after Louisa Healy had cut out Mary Logue's free from the right.
Hermes, though, suffered a huge blow in the 12th minute when they lost Daphne Sixsmith, with a neck injury, following a collision with Nikki Lyons. The sweeper returned briefly following treatment but bowed out soon after - she was sorely missed by Hermes, both in defence and at short corners.
It was Loreto's own "walking wounded", Caitriona O'Kelly - who was hampered throughout by spasms in her back - and Cathy McKean who dug deepest of all to direct their team's first half fightback, one that saw them control the final 15 minutes, during which they forced five short corners. It was from the third that they levelled the scores, with Nikki Symmons, on the right, whipping an unstoppable shot past Tara Browne after Aoife Pomeroy's strike had been saved.
Twice in the next four minutes Symmons came close to giving Loreto the lead and on the stroke of half-time they were denied by Browne when she charged off her line to clear the danger after Sarah O'Meara had put Lyons clean through.
It was Lyons who started the move, just a minute in to the second half, that put Loreto 2-1 up, capitalising on some careless Hermes defending to send McKean clear on the left. McKean played a perfect ball across the face of goal for Symmons, on the right post, to tap home.
For the next quarter of an hour Loreto had Hermes pinned back in to their own half but failed to convert their possession in to a crucial third goal. Hermes, meanwhile, were desperately in need of some inspiration - they found it in Logue, described after the game as "quite magnificent" by Loreto coach Fred McDarby.
Logue was at the centre of the Hermes revival but when Linda Caulfield hit the left post from a 50th minute short corner the Leinster champions must have believed it wasn't going to be their day. Gutsy defending by Pomeroy, Clodagh Grealy and Orla Ryan repeatedly thwarted a Hermes attack still without Jenny Burke, who was not risked after returning to training last week following a three month absence through injury.
Eight short corner opportunities came and went for Hermes before finally, from the ninth, eight minutes from time, Fiona Connery's deflected shot found its way through to goal. Shirine Young almost snatched a dramatic victory at the death for Hermes but was denied by Healy who made a quite brilliant save low to her right when the ball seemed bound for the bottom left corner.
The first period of extra time was uneventful, with Hermes having the edge in terms of possession, but Loreto took control again in the final 10 minutes, winning three more short corners (two in "added" time), laying siege to their opponents' goal.
Hermes survived, thanks largely to courageous defending by Jill Hodgins and Connery.
And so to the strokes shoot-out - after two apiece it was 1-1, with Healy and Browne making fine saves from Logue and O'Meara - but Sarah Rand and McKean both hit faultless strokes, low to Browne's left, while Healy saved from Aoife Byrne and Johanna Hyland to clinch victory and her club's first Irish Senior Cup since 1960. "They now realise they need fear no one in Ireland," said McDarby. "The players deserved this for all the work they put in over the season, I'm thrilled for them."
LORETO: L Healy, R Brophy, C Grealy, A Pomeroy, O Ryan, S Rand, S O'Meara (capt), C O'Kelly, N Symmons, C McKean, N Lyons. Sub: S Scott.
HERMES: T Browne, J Hodgins, F Connery (capt), D Sixsmith, J Hyland, M Logue, L Caulfield, C Carey, C Devine, S McCarthy, D McDermott. Subs: A Byrne, S Young, F Manning, E J Walsh.
Umpires: A McCloskey and Z Howe.
IRISH SENIOR CUP FINAL (at Belfield) - Hermes 2 (D McDermott, F Connery), Loreto (N Symmons 2), After extra time. Loreto won 3-1 on penalty strokes.
