Omagh secured their first win of the Legacy Wealth Management Premier League season as they came out on top in an eight-goal thriller away to Armagh on Friday evening.
Aimee Buchanan put on a player of the match performance, netting four goals as her side climbed to ninth in the division, just two points from safety.
Buchanan opened the scoring with five minutes played when her side were awarded a penalty corner, which she converted before doubling her side’s tally in a similar fashion just minutes later.
Midway through the second quarter, the visitors added a third. A quickly taken free hit saw Amy McCollum find Sophie Egerton, who fired in to give her side a comfortable 3-0 lead at half-time.
After the restart, Armagh were given a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty corner with Lydia Thompson converting to keep her sides slim hopes alive.
However, Omagh quickly added a fourth, moving from defence to attack as Buchanan found herself 1v1 with the goalkeeper before completing her hat-trick to make it 4-1.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Armagh struck back once more with Mia Taylor scoring her second goal of the season from a penalty corner.
The visitors restored their three-goal lead once more when Katie McDowell’s ball into the circle found Buchanan, who deflected in for her fourth of the afternoon and all but sealed the points for her side.
Late on in the tie, Armagh were awarded a penalty stroke, with Katelyn Johnston converting to get a third goal back for the hosts as they ran out 5-3 losers.
The weekend’s other game saw Lurgan take a huge step towards EYHL2 qualification as they beat Mossley 1-0 on Saturday afternoon.
The win marks three wins in a row without conceding for the side, who won 1-0 for a second week running.
Like last weekend, it was a strike from Danielle Irvine who got the game’s only goal as her side came out on top in a crucial EYHL2 chasing clash.
Following their win, Andy Brown’s side climbed to third in the division, overtaking Belfast Harlequins in the final qualification place.
Meanwhile, as the only side that can mathematically still catch the league leaders, Ards title celebrations were made to wait for another week.
PHOTO: Front Row Union