The Ulster U18 girls were crowned Interprovincial champions as they beat Leinster 3-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Two goals from Katie Herron and a third from Rebekah Lennon helped seal the win at Monkstown Hockey Club.
It took just five minutes for Herron to open the scoring as Emma McEntee picked out Erin Pim with a brilliant ball into the circle.
At a tight angle, Pim was unable to get a shot off but instead picked out her strike partner at the back post who was left to tap-in from three yards out.
The goal prompted a good response from our Southern opposition who were twice denied by Ulster goalkeeper Anna Wilson to keep our slender advantage.
With 24 minutes on the clock the Leinster pressure continued with back-to-back penalty corners, the second of which was brilliantly cleared off the line by defender Ruby Johnston.
Just moments later we had a penalty corner of our own as Katie Herron found a foot in the circle.
Injected to Joni Cunningham at the top of the circle, she picked out Herron at the back post and deflected past the the Leinster goalkeeper to get her second of the game and to double our advantage.
It was 3-0 before the half-time break as Rebekah Lennon added a third just two minutes before the break.
Again from a penalty corner, the ball was slipped left to Lennon who fired into the bottom left corner from the top of the circle.
A quiet third quarter saw very few chances for either side with a Scarlett Taylor penalty corner the most noteworthy chance but she sent it just wide of the far post with 47 minutes played.
In the final quarter Leinster subbed took off their goalkeeper in a last-ditch attempt to get back into the tie, but it wasn’t enough as the strong Ulster side held out for an impressive 3-0 win to be crowned champions.
In the days other game, the U16s were narrowly beaten 2-1 by Leinster in their final.
Having fallen behind early, Lucy Megaw equalised for Ulster after just eight minutes of play.
However, another Leinster strike proved to be the winning goal as they ran out winners of the U16 section, with our girls finishing as runners-up.
