UCC Go Marching On
UCC Soccer’s record breaking season just keeps getting better! Tonight they beat League of Ireland First Division side Cobh Ramblers on a scoreline of 3-2.
Captain Cian Hill put the students ahead midway through the first half with a great header after Jason Abbott swung in a fantastic free kick from the left hand side.
Cian Murphy doubled the lead shortly after half time with quite possibly the best goal of the season. The left back picked up the ball on the left hand side of his own box and proceeded to dribble forward. He quickly gathered speed and showed amazing close control as he went left, right and left again, each time beating a hapless Cobh defender. With one more touch he nudged the ball through the last defender’s legs before getting his head up to coolly slot the ball past the outrushing keeper. Always a crowd pleaser, he quickly whipped his jersey off and sprinted to the sideline for a topless knee slide in front of the fans. His excitement was understandable but the performance earned him a yellow card from the ref.
UCC looked to be closing out the game comfortably but in the dying minutes, UCC graduate Rob Waters pulled a goal back with an impressive header from a corner. Then with only added time to play Waters popped up again with a fantastic volley from the edge of the box that sailed into the top corner.
True to their form this season, with things going against them, UCC refused to drop their heads and accept defeat. A corner in the last minute of extra time gave them an opportunity to a winning goal. It looked like it wasn’t to be this time for the students as the corner was cleared to the right hand sideline but substitute Rufus Holmes showed great endeavour to keep the ball in play. He shimmied past the Cobh left back and picked out centre back Sean O Mahony who had stayed up following the corner. The defender looped the ball into the far corner to finish off an incredible match and send UCC through the the quarter finals.
UCC are the only non League of Ireland Premier Division side left in the EA Sports Cup Quarter Finals. The team’s achievements this year are a culmination of all the hard work put in by Noel Healy, Conor Uhl, Mick Conroy and the excellent squad of players at their disposal. Long may it continue!
