WOMEN'S HOCKEY:PEGASUS AND UCD booked their places in the semi-finals of the Irish Hockey League with victories at the weekend, but six teams still have a mathematical chance of filling the other two slots after next Saturday's final round of pool fixtures.
Comfortable victories away to Munster opposition secured Pegasus and UCD’s passage to the last four, the Ulster champions easily defeating UCC 5-0 yesterday, with UCD recording a fine 3-0 win over Cork Harlequins on Saturday.
Those results put them five points clear of the teams in third place in their pools, thus guaranteeing them qualification for the semi-finals of the competition.
Hermes’s 7-1 defeat of Belfast Harlequins saw them move in to second in pool A, ahead of Loreto who were beaten 2-1 by Catholic Institute.
Éimear Cregan and Claire Sullivan put the Limerick club, for whom goalkeeper Ciarán Ronan was outstanding, 2-0 up before Loreto pulled a goal back with five minutes to go.
That win means Institute can still finish second in the pool, but they would need a bonus win over UCC and for Loreto to beat Hermes next weekend (without picking up a bonus point) – and even then it would go down to goal difference.
Pool B is just as tight, but with a home game to come against second-from-bottom Ards, Railway, three points clear of Armagh and Ballymoney, are favourites to go through.
Railway beat Armagh 3-1 on Saturday in a game that had to be switched from Ardmore to Lisnagarvey due to snow.
