O'Carroll and McNulty the heroes for UCD in dramatic Sigerson Cup semi-final
EQUALISER: Leitrim's Barry McNulty scored a point from a mark for UCD to take their Sigerson Cup semi-final against TU Dublin to a penalty shootout. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
Ben O'Carroll was the spot-kick hero as UCD kept their Sigerson Cup title hopes alive with a dramatic semi-final win in Abbottstown.
The Roscommon attacker came good for the 2024 tournament finalists with the winning kick at the end of a penalty shoot-out that went all the way to sudden death.
Barry McNulty was another hero for the 34-times champions as he slotted one of the crucial penalties and earlier converted a point from a mark in the 82nd minute to take the game to penalties.
Monaghan defender Ryan O'Toole played an important role too with an extra-time goal to keep the Belfield outfit on track.
TU Dublin will kick themselves for wasting four of their eight penalty kicks overall though UCD also had three kicks saved, in keeping with a night of poor shooting overall.
Still, John Divilly's side won't be overly fussed about how they progressed with high hopes of making up for last year's final defeat to Ulster University.
Next Wednesday's decider could even be a repeat of the 2024 showpiece as Ulster University will take on DCU in the second semi-final tomorrow evening.
Both sides reached the last four with perfect records having won their three previous games and posted significant quarter-final tallies.
In UCD's case they blasted 5-18 beyond MTU Kerry to reach the penultimate stage while TU Dublin hit UL for 2-15 last week.
But all sense of craft and sharpness deserted both teams for much of the game with chance after chance wasted.
The sides shared 13 first-half wides between them with TU Dublin registering seven of those while UCD also dropped a series of point attempts short.
There was a bit of everything in there from poor shot execution to mishandling to misplaced passes in the final third and, admittedly, some powerful defending at times to keep the scoreboard operator idle.
UCD, bringing Malachy Stone, Charlie McMorrow and Callum Bolton into their team, hit the interval with a 0-3 to 0-1 lead.
Captain Daire Cregg scored two of those points while Meath attacker Aaron Lynch grabbed the other.
Jordan Morris struck TU Dublin's sole first-half point before going off injured after an apparent blow to the face.
That was a big setback for the 2013 champions as they were already without All-Star Dublin attacker Colm Basquel due to a hamstring injury.
But TU Dublin still gathered the momentum to hit three scores in a row in the first 10 minutes of the second-half, tying it up at 0-4 apiece.
Darragh Lovett, fresh off hitting nine points for Cavan on his full NFL debut last weekend, scored one of those TU Dublin points. Joe Prendergast and Mullingar man Danny McCartan got the others.
It was Lovett's second point for TU Dublin in the 55th minute that tied it up again at 0-5 apiece, forcing extra-time and cancelling out an earlier UCD point from goalkeeper Killian Roche.
They were still deadlocked at half-time of extra-time, O'Toole's fortunate goal for UCD cancelling out three TU Dublin points.
O'Toole couldn't believe his luck when his point attempt dropped short and was fumbled over the line by the goalkeeper.
This game seemed destined to go all the way though and it was no surprise when they traded two more points each in the second period of extra-time to go to penalties.
R O'Toole 1-0; D Cregg (1 free), A Lynch, K Roche (1 45) 0-2 each; B McNulty 0-1 (1 mark).
D Lovett 0-4 (4 frees); J Morris, J Prendergast, D McCartan, O Brooks, C Reilly, J Lundy 0-1 each.
K Roche (Laois); R O'Toole (Monaghan), M Stone (Wicklow), C McMorrow (Dublin); D Gilmore (Derry), C Drumm (Westmeath), D McElearney (Monaghan); D Moriarty (Meath), P Duffy (Dublin); C Egan (Offaly), B McNulty (Leitrim), C Bolton (Kildare); D Cregg (Roscommon), L Breathnach (Dublin), A Lynch (Meath).
S Callinan (Mayo) for Gilmore (29); B O'Carroll (Roscommon) for Breathnach (h/t); Mark McNally (Dublin) for Moriarty (41); P Honeyman (Leitrim) for Lynch (48); D McEntee (Meath) for Cregg (53). L Costello (Galway) for McMorrow (h/t e/t); S Forker (Dublin) for Egan (h/t e/t).
J Rodgers (Kildare); C McGeough (Cavan), M Nolan (Wicklow), N Carolan (Cavan); J Prendergast (Wicklow), C Reilly (Cavan), D Fee (Wicklow); D Rooney (Dublin), S Hanifin (Kildare); S Reynolds (Louth), J Lundy (Dublin), D McCartan (Westmeath); J Morris (Meath), C Fee (Wicklow), S Jones (Monaghan).
O Brooks (Dublin) for Morris (30+4); D Lovett (Cavan) for Brooks (h/t); Brooks for Rooney (51). Morris for McCartan (77).
B Tiernan (Dublin).
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