O'Connor Cup: Morrissey shines as UCC reach final
March 14, 2025
UCC players, from left, Emma Morrissey, Aimee Corcoran, Leah Hallihan, Rosie Corkery and Roisin Ennis celebrate after their side's victory in the 2025 Ladies AIG HEC O'Connor Cup semi-final match between University College Cork and University of Galway at Queen's Sport, Queens University, Belfast. ©Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
By Daire Walsh
UCC 3-15
University of Galway 2-7
Emma Morrissey kicked eight points at Queen’s University this afternoon as 2024 finalists UCC booked their spot in Saturday’s AIG O’Connor Cup final with an impressive victory over University of Galway.
While the Munster side hit the ground running with points from Morrissey (who, along with her team-mate Roisin Ennis, won this competition with DCU in 2024) and Aine O’Neill, University of Galway responded at the opposite end with quickfire scores from Eva Noone and raiding centre half-back Saoirse Wynne.
This left the tie delicately poised during the early exchanges, before UCC subsequently flexed their muscles either side of the first-quarter mark. After unanswered points from Morrissey (two), Abigail Ring (two) and Waterford’s Brid McMaugh had created daylight between the teams, Cork attacker Ring rattled the net from close-range on 19 minutes to move the Leesiders into a 1-7 to 0-2 lead.
Further points arrived through the boots of Emily Lacy and Morrissey (free), but thanks to clinically secured goals from Muireaan Devaney and Kate Slevin – former team-mates at Athlone Town in the Women’s Premier Division – University of Galway came roaring back into contention.
However, UCC bagged a second major of their own from Lacy in the 27th minute and this propelled them towards a 2-10 to 2-5 interval lead.
Another place-ball effort by reliable Aherlow and Tipperary ace Morrissey kept UCC in the driving seat on the resumption and although Aoife Staunton raised a white flag for University of Galway, the Connacht college suffered a hammer blow on 43 minutes.
After picking up possession at a right-hand angle, Kerry native Amy Harrington unleashed a fierce strike into the top corner of the net that opposite netminder Joanne Reilly was powerless to stop. This left University of Galway with a mountain to climb inside the final-quarter and with McMaugh and Morrissey finding the target either side of Slevin’s pointed free for the Tribeswomen, UCC remained very much in control of their own destiny.
UCC manager Joe Carroll opted to introduce some fresh legs late on ahead of their final against the winners of today’s other last-four clash between DCU Dochas Eireann (who defeated the Leesiders in last year’s final) and Ulster University, but it was the first-choice duo of McMaugh and Morrissey that rounded off the scoring with late points.
Scorers – UCC: E Morrissey 0-8 (5f), A Ring 1-2, E Lacy 1-1, A Harrington 1-0, B McMaugh 0-3, A O’Neill 0-1.
University of Galway: K Slevin 1-2 (0-1f), E Noone 0-3 (2f), M Devaney 1-0, S Wynne, A Staunton 0-1 each.
UCC: C Richmond; D Kiniry, E Power, R Sheehan; A Corcoran, R Corkery, R Ennis; A Healy, A Harrington; A O’Neill, B McMaugh, E Lacy; L Hallihan, E Morrissey, A Ring. Subs: E Twomey for Lacy (40), K Brosnan for Hallihan (44), S McGoldrick for Corcoran (53), K Redmond for Harrington, J Gill for Ring (both 57).
University of Galway: J Reilly; A Flanagan, M Jordan, C Hogan; M Barek, S Wynne, E O’Connor; M Walsh, S McCarney; A McDonnell, A Staunton, M Devaney; E Noone, M Mulryan, K Slevin. Subs: E O’Riordan for Flanagan (18), R McLoughlin for Mulryan (40), S McGuinness for McDonnell (49), M O’Neill for Hogan (56).
Referee: Eddie Cuthbert.
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