UL complete great escape in seven-goal thriller

University of Limerick 3-19 Maynooth University 4-15 (AET): The footballers of UL used all nine lives and their get-out-of-jail card to sneak past Maynooth in this thrilling Sigerson Cup first round tie.

The home outfit, having found themselves two in arrears at the start of the second period of extra-time, were dealt a major blow on 75 minutes when Ian Burke received a red card for an off-the-ball challenge on Aiden Brennan. Throw into the mix the Limerick side were playing into the teeth of a near gale and it appeared the only matter still up for debate was the margin of Maynooth win.

Burke had narrowed the deficit to the minimum prior to his dismissal and the sides were level when UL’s Niall McDermott landed his fourth free. Maynooth had a chance to recapture the lead, but Henry Walsh’s free drifted wide. And when a UL attack broke down in the subsequent passage, two further periods of extra-time looked inevitable. Maynooth, however, stumbled over their lines; Gearóid Hegarty snapped up the loose ball, sent possession in the direction of the unmarked Jack Goulding and the sub fired over the winner in the 79th minute.