WOMEN'S HOCKEY IRISH SENIOR CUP FINAL Loreto 2 Railway Union 2( Loreto win 4-2 on penalties):WHAT WAS almost a valiant comeback from 2-0 down by Railway Union fell just short in yesterday's Irish Senior Cup final at Belfield. Never having won the competition, Railway started brightly and looked easily capable of taking the lead in a tense but flowing game against Loreto.

For long periods, especially in the second half, when they came back into the match forcefully, Railway looked as though they were creating enough chances outright to win in normal time.

But Loreto, led by player-of-the-match Nikki Symmons, who scored both of Loreto’s first-half goals and took a ball off the line in the second half, finally held their nerve through extra time and penalties to clinch victory. Hannah Matthews’s low penalty to goalkeeper Helen Stevenson’s right earned Loreto the trophy.

Loreto, who travel to Rome later this month to represent Ireland in the European Trophy competition, must have felt fortune was with them when Symmons put a drag flick away after 22 minutes for 1-0. Then eight minutes later it was Symmons again who dribbled in a five-metre free outside the circle and hit a stylish reverse stick shot for 2-0. But Railway must have realised they were well in the match with their 3-1 short corner count in the first half suggesting some cutting edge in attack.

That was borne out early in the second half when Symmons was forced to clear off the Loreto line at a short corner. But the follow-up set-piece was switched to Jean McDonnell, who hit low across goalkeeper Louisa Healy for 2-1. That was Railway’s strongest phase in the game and even when Emer Dillon was shown the yellow card, their second-half flourish was undiminished.

On 58 minutes that pressure delivered again when Patricia O’Dwyer caught the Loreto defence napping. Dillon, back on the pitch, pushed hard into the circle and the unmarked O’Dwyer deflected for 2-2.

Railway had a chance to win the game when they earned a short corner in the dying seconds of normal time with captain Clodagh Grealy blocking from Railway’s Nikki Evans to send the match into extra time. That failed to produce a winner and, even with Matthews taking time out with a yellow card, the match finished 2-2 after the 15 minutes.

The penalties finally came down to Loreto needing to score their fifth to clinch the match with Matthews, daughter of former Irish rugby player Phillip, holding her nerve for the last winning stroke.

LORETO: L Healy, N Daly, C Grealy capt, N Symmons, N Keegan,R Keegan, L Colvin, H Matthews, A Campion, C Tipping, C McKean. Rolling. Subs: S Barnwell, S O'Meara, N Small, C Baker, M Harkin, S McGirr.

RAILWAY UNION: H Stevenson, I Joyce capt, K Dillon, H Jenkinson, S Walsh, J McDonnell, C Joyce, E Smyth, E Lucey, E Dolan, N Evans. Rolling. Subs: S McDonald, K McKenna, E Dillon, R Hutchinson, H De Burgh Whyte, S Dooley.

Umpires: C Metchette, Z Howe.