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A late goal from Conor Cannon against NUI Galway ensured University College Dublin\u00a0retained the Harding Cup. The national competition, exclusively for first-year students, was\u00a0held on the University of Limerick\u2019s North Campus pitches on 7-9 February. UL bowed out\u00a0of the tournament at the semi-final stage, losing to the eventual winners.<\/p>\n
In the first pair of quarter-finals NUIG breezed past UCC, while DCU were no match\u00a0for NUI Maynooth, with both games finishing 3-0. It was then UL\u2019s turn to take centre-stage,\u00a0with attacking midfielder Michael Leigh stealing the show. In driving rain, Jamie Flynn\u2019s side\u00a0beat Trinity College Dublin 4-2, with Leigh netting all four. Despite the rain the months of\u00a0preparation left beaming smiles across the UL squad.\u00a0Mary Immaculate College, making their debut in the competition, were no match for\u00a0the pre-tournament favourites, UCD. The Dublin side led 6-1 at half-time. The Limerick side\u00a0played better after the break, with the game ending 7-1.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the Harding Plate semi-finals kicked off the day\u2019s action, where Mary\u00a0Immaculate turned in a much better display. Noel O\u2019Connor\u2019s charges beat a seemingly\u00a0disinterested Trinity side 2-1. In the other semi-final tempers boiled over as UCC went down\u00a0to DCU, with all the game\u2019s goals coming in an eight-minute spell. DCU edged it 2-1,\u00a0meaning they would face Mary Immaculate on Sunday for the Plate.<\/p>\n
The games between UL and UCD, and NUIG and Maynooth both kicked off in\u00a0horrendous conditions. UCD\u2019s main goal threat, Dean Clarke, gave his side an early lead\u00a0before UL could really settle into the game. To their credit, the hosts dug in, and despite the\u00a0Dubliners\u2019 dominance in possession UCD created little else until the break.\u00a0After the restart, UL made encouraging strides forward, with Michael Leigh, Marcus\u00a0Finucane and Joe Kennedy all looking to make something happen. However, eventual player\u00a0of the tournement, Conor Cannon doubled the Belfield side\u2019s lead in the 67th minute. With\u00a0seven minutes remaining Joe Kennedy scored a free-kick, ensuring UCD would be sweating\u00a0for the remainder of the game. With five minutes to go UL were controversially reduced to\u00a0ten men and could not create an opening to force extra-time.<\/p>\n
In the other semi-final, NUIG booked their place in the final after a first-half goal\u00a0from Eoghan Walsh gave the maroon side a half-time lead. Despite dominance fromMaynooth after the break, NUIG kept their second clean-sheet to set up a Sunday showdown
\nwith UCD.<\/p>\n
After Sunday\u2019s Harding Plate final, Mary Immaculate can consider themselves\u00a0unlucky after holding a good DCU side for 93 minutes, only to see the deadlock broken by\u00a0substitute Jordan Noonan in stoppage time. Mary Immaculate had 50 seconds to rescue the\u00a0game, but were unable to do so.<\/p>\n
The rain died down for the Harding Cup final, the only game in the competition to\u00a0enjoy such a luxury. Eoghan Walsh made it three goals in as many games when he fired\u00a0NUIG into the lead in the 18th minute. When Evan Boyce fired a 22nd-minute penalty wide,\u00a0one felt it would prove a wake-up call for UCD. Dean Clarke was set up by Cannon to level\u00a0the score on 76 minutes, and after a lengthy delay due to an injury, UCD won the game.\u00a0Clarke and Cannon were involved again, with Cannon firing the Dubliners to victory and the\u00a0title.<\/p>\n
By Tom Clancy<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n