TUD 1-11 UCC 0-13
Roisin McCormick was the TUD hero, not once but twice, as the Dublin college won their first ever Ashbourne Cup title.
The Antrim star nailed two pressure frees, one at the end of normal time, and one at the end of extra-time, as she sealed a famous win for the underdogs.
TUD had relinquished a two point lead in extra-time as late points from Cliona O’Leary, Laura Hayes and Clodagh Finn dragged the Cork college back into it.
And as the clock ticked on, it looked for all the world as if this Ashbourne Cup final was headed for a penalty shoot-out but TUD had other ideas.
Kerrie Finnegan showed some great determination and persistence to win a free out by the sideline, and with ice in the veins, McCormick did the rest.
The angle was tough and the distance was long but it was no problem for the Antrim player, who had one of those days when she could do no wrong.
She's done it again! Roisin McCormick steps up to win the Ashbourne Cup for TUD with virtually the last puckpic.twitter.com/NQzCGV0mgI
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) February 12, 2023
Let’s not forget, it was another one of her nerveless placed balls that took this final to extra-time in the first place, her last-gasp 45 keeping TUD alive in the first place.
McCormick was TUD’s hero of the day but she was ably assisted by the likes of Kerrie Finnegan, who covered almost every blade of grass, and Megan Dowdall, who scored a crucial extra-time goal.
As mentioned above, UCC did well to react to that blow but as it turned out, going to extra-time for a second time in two days was a step too far for them. They had beaten DCU after extra-time 24 hours earlier but they couldn’t work the oracle again.
A goal was always going to be a crucial score in a game like this and Dowdall, the Westmeath player, did well to put it away. It was a funny moment, as you’ll see below, when she apologised to her team-mate for taking the goal off her.
She's done it again! Roisin McCormick steps up to win the Ashbourne Cup for TUD with virtually the last puckpic.twitter.com/NQzCGV0mgI
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) February 12, 2023
But the TUD women will all be singing off the same hymn sheet tonight. This was a famous win for them.
