Railway Union picked up from where they left off last season, when they did a Champions Trophy and Irish Senior Cup double, by opening their EY Hockey League campaign in fine style with a 4-0 win over Pembroke Wanderers on Saturday.
There were victories too for defending Hockey League champions Loreto, Catholic Institute and Old Alexandra, while Pegasus became the first side to win an extra point on penalty run-ins after their draw with Ards.
Railway were without five of the players who started for them in April’s Champions Trophy final — the Carey twins, Niamh and Michelle, who are now playing in Belgium, Aebfhinn Burke, who is taking time out to travel, and the injured Katie Mullan and Roisín Upton, but they still managed to ease to a 4-0 win. An early Orla Fox penalty stroke and Niamh Shaw’s goal from a corner put them two up by half-time, after which Sarah Patton and debutante Niamh Gowing completed the scoring.
Loreto came away from Jordanstown with the points after a 2-0 defeat of Ulster Elks, while Old Alexandra were 2-1 winners over UCD at Belfield. Some stout defending from newly promoted UCC kept Catholic Institute at bay until the third quarter of their game at Rosbrien, but after Naomi Carroll broke the deadlock Institute ran out 3-0 winners.
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Ards, the other promoted side, twice came from behind against Pegasus to open their campaign with a draw, courtesy of a double from Zara Malseed against her former club. But it was the Belfast side that took a bonus point in the newly introduced format where penalty run-ins now follow tied games. Megan Todd saved three of Ards’ four efforts, the other going wide, while sisters Lucy and Katie McKee converted their efforts.
Hockey League — Saturday: Catholic Institute 3 (N Carroll, R Begley, C Moloney), UCC 0; UCD 1 (M Power), Old Alexandra 2 (A Russell, J McGrane); Railway Union 4 (O Fox pen, N Shaw, S Patton, N Gowing), Pembroke Wanderers 0; Ulster Elks 0, Loreto 2 (R Kelly, C Sherin); Pegasus 2 (L McKee, A Speers), Ards 2 (Z Malseed 2). Pegasus won an extra point in the penalty run-ins.
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