A chilly Saturday morning in Galway was to play host to the first game day of the Ireland Lacrosse League 2010/2011 season. Both UCD mens and womens teams turned out in large numbers, making the weekend a very successful beginning to what will ultimately be a challenging season.

The girls team began by facing a mixed team of Dublin and Trinity which boasted several Irish internationals amongst their ranks. The girls performed admirably and it was a credit to the coaching staff and leaders in the team that so many ‘rookies’ were amongst the starting line-up and more featured during the game. They were also lucky enough to take part in a clinic which was run by Ireland Lacrosse’ Women’s director Julie Clarke, and was a resounding success amongst the newer players and experienced alike.

The mens team togged out firstly against a Galway side still searching for their first victory over UCD. Despite their best efforts, the quality of our mens team and our strength in depth proved too much for Galway. Some notable performances from our new Americans was enough to see us run out comfortable winners in the end.

The second game saw us face the newly formed Dublin Prawns, who proved to be far tougher opponents than the earlier fixture. Winning 5-2, the Prawns produced a spirited comeback to level the game at 5-5. Sadly there was to be no extra goal for UCD and the game ended in a draw. Sitting pretty in 2nd place with one win and one draw, the mens team continues to gain momentum coming into the Cork gameday on November 13th.

A big thanks must go to all the players who turned out from all the teams involved, and especially to all our ‘rookies’ who took part in their first competitive game day. We also wish to thank our captains Rachel and Aidan for the leadership on and off the field, and of course our coaches Katelin Billups, Kevin Quinn and Sean Bodie who continue to be vital to the success of the teams and the club. We hope you thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and look forward to seeing you in Cork on November 13th!

Keith Kane