Healy heroic in shoot-out as Loreto win gold

Hockey European Cup Winners' Cup final: Loreto - 2 Lorenzoni - 2 Louisa Healy, the young Garda trainee from Wexford, clinched gold - and promotion to the A division next season - for Loreto at the European Cup Winners' Cup in Vienna yesterday, their European debut, with two saves in the penalty strokes competition that decided their gold medal play-off against Lorenzoni.

Before then, though, Loreto had had to twice come from behind against the Italians, before having two penalty strokes in the shoot-out, which they believed they had converted, disallowed. It all ended happily, though, after Sarah O'Meara and Nikki Symmons put away their strokes and Healy saved two Italian efforts, with two more going wide.

Lorenzoni began the game much the brighter, harrying Loreto into a string of defensive errors, and deservedly took the lead in the 15th minute when Masha Tchernick converted a stroke awarded after Healy had fouled Elisabetta Nota.

By then the entire Loreto back four of O'Meara, Clodagh Grealy, Sarah Rand and Orla Ryan had had to make timely tackles in their own circle to thwart rapidly advancing Lorenzoni forwards, and the Irish were largely over-run in midfield, where the Italians were quicker to the ball.

Caitriona O'Kelly, Loreto's outstanding player in their four matches, finally roused her team from their slumbers five minutes before half time when she thundered home a pass from Cathy McKean. Caroline Poggia, though, restored Lorenzoni's lead two minutes after the break, deflecting Nota's shot past Healy.

It was only then that Loreto raised their game, with Sarah Scott and O'Kelly behind much of their best work. O'Kelly, scoring her fourth goal in as many games, got the equaliser in the 45th minute, firing home her team's fourth short corner of the game, and from then until the end Loreto were in control. Scott came close to making it 3-2 when she deflected Aoife O'Brien's pass just wide, before McKean hit the post two minutes later.

A superb run and pass by Nikki Keegan set up Symmons in front of goal with just four minutes to go, but the Italian goalkeeper smothered the shot and cleared the danger. Twice, though, Loreto endured late scares, with O'Meara making a crucial tackle in her own circle when Lorenzoni were through and Healy saving Nota's shot from a last-minute penalty corner.

The play-off went straight to strokes, with no extra time, and there was immediate controversy when Rand's effort was ruled out after it had been deflected onto the post by Chiara Mortarino. Loreto claimed the ball had then crossed the line; the umpires ruled it had not.

O'Meara and Symmons were successful with the next two Loreto strokes, while Lorenzoni hit theirs wide. O'Kelly was then adjudged to have been "too far ahead of the ball" when she converted her effort, despite taking a step back when requested by the umpire, but Healy saved Lorenzoni's last two attempts to make the controversy academic.

"Pure relief," said O'Kelly after the game. "I was in tears after, it was a real emotional rollercoaster. I can't explain how I feel. This win is up there with my first Irish cap and winning the Irish Cup last year - and that's saying something."

O'Kelly (26), who has won 42 caps, then confirmed that she will not be returning to the Irish senior panel, having being invited back by coach Riet Kuper last month. "I trained since I was 15 in the hope that one day I would play in a World Cup, that was my dream, but it was taken away from me last year. I had an injury that needed six weeks' rest, I was given a fortnight, so that was that.

"There is no point in me going back now just to be kicked in the teeth again. There is nothing I have ever loved more than playing for my country but it's time to concentrate on my career - the next World Cup will be too late for me.

"Of course I'm sad about that, but there's nothing I can do. I'm a midfielder, the Irish coach sees me as a defender. She doesn't see my strengths, so what can I do? It's time to move on, but I'll miss playing for Ireland more than anyone could imagine."

LORETO: L Healy, S O'Meara, S Rand, C Grealy, O Ryan, R Brophy, C O'Kelly, N Lyons (capt), N Symmons, C McKean, S Scott. Subs: A O'Brien, N Keegan.