Speers helps Pegs fly high with win over UCD
ALEX Speers played through the pain barrier and scored two of the goals as her seriously depleted Pegasus team snatched a dramatic 3-2 win over UCD in Dublin on Saturday to stay joint top of the EY Irish Hockey League table.
Speers took a nasty blow to her cheek after only 11 minutes but resumed after treatment as the defending champions came from 2-0 down to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Loreto.
Pegasus were missing several regulars for a variety of reasons and travelled south with only 12 players, meaning they had just one player on the bench instead of the permitted seven.
Speers said: “We showed fantastic character to come back from two down after the first quarter against a quality UCD side in Dublin where we have found things very difficult in the past.
“All the younger girls who have come into the squad have stepped up and proved their ability both in training and matches and there is a great buzz around the squad.”
Niamh Carey and Sarah Young scored to put UCD 2-0 up after only 17 minutes before Speers struck twice and Belfast Royal Academy student Niamh McIvor grabbed the winner in the third quarter.
However, while Pegasus go marching on, Belfast Harlequins remain without a win, following a 2-1 defeat to Pembroke in Dublin where Jenna Watt hit the consolation goal.
Warrior spirit: Alex Speers bagged a double for Pegasus
Results: EYHL: Muckross 4 (A O’Flanagan, S Barnwell, N Keegan, J McGirr) Cork Harlequins 2 (E Barber 2); Old Alexandra 1 (D Duke) Loreto 3 (S Torrans 2, J Meeke); Pembroke 2 (O Macken, S Loughran) Belfast Harlequins 1 (J Watt); Railway Union 2 (N Shaw, L Lloyd) Catholic Institute 1 (A Hickey); UCD 2 (N Carey, S Young) Pegasus 3 (A Speers 2, N McIvor); Denman Ulster Shield: Pool B: Banbridge 3 (K McDonald, P Haugh, S McCullough) Mossley 1 (A Jones); Pool C: Ballymoney 0 Lurgan 0; Pool D: Rainey 1 Ards 6 (Z Malseed 4, K McKenna, B Weir); Ulster Premier: Dungannon 1 (K Burns) Lisnagarvey 0; Queen’s 5 (J McMaster 2, E Getty 2, E McStea) Raphoe 0; Ulster Elks 2 (H Irwin, L Paul) Randalstown 0; Senior One: Armagh 2 (N Babika 2) North Down 2 (S Lewis, O Brown); CI 0 Priorians 2 (R McSparron, J Kennedy); Dromore 1 (H Russell) Omagh 0; Portadown 0 Ballymena 3 (C Gillespie, A Logan 2); Irish Junior Cup: UCC 1 Bandon 0; Railway Union 2 Cork Harlequins 0; Ulster Elks 0 Pembroke 4; Trinity 2 Old Alex 6; Loreto 5 Ashton 0; UCD 2 Monkstown 2, Monkstown won shoot-out; North Down 0 Pegasus 7 (R Murdock 2, S Ferris, H Craig, R Shields, S Moffett, E Smyth)