Goals from Aaron Dobbs, Cillian Duffy, Kieran McDaid (pictured above) and second-half substitutes Simon Falvey and Alan Murphy repeated the 5-0 defeat inflicted upon the Forces last year in Cork.
Both sides named experimental line-ups ahead of world championships later in the year with Conor Keeley, Conor Kane and Pierce Phillips the only starters for Greg Yelverton’s Student side from their last international game against France last June. Similarly, Defence Forces Head Coach Richie Barber selected a side without twenty-two of his players who played in the qualifiers for the World Military Games.
Aaron Dobbs opened the scoring after fifteen minutes for the Third Level team. The TU Dublin student directed Kieran McDaid’s low cross across the six-yard box into the net.
Cillian Duffy was a constant thorn in the sides of the Army and was rewarded when he outjumped the surrounding defenders to head home Jack Tuite’s cross from the right. McDaid would also get in on the act during the opening half when Forces keeper Ken Deegan could only divert Conor Kane’s cross into the IT Carlow student’s path.
With both sides making a number of changes in the opening minutes of the second half, the game was at risk of losing its tempo. However, the Colleges & Universities ensured there would be no fight back from the Defence Forces when Simon Falvey struck a free kick from right on the edge of the box underneath the wall and past Deegan.
UL student Alan Murphy would complete the goalscoring for the day with twenty minutes remaining when he swept home Ronan Young’s cross.
The next tests for both sides will come in May when the Defence Forces welcome the United Kingdom to Richmond Park whilst the Colleges & Universities will travel to Bordeaux to once again face France.
CU: McCabe, Tuite, Slevin, Keeley, Kane, Phillips, McDaid, Kelly, Scott, Dobbs, Duffy
Subs All Used: Young, Nugent, Quinn, Murphy, Coffey, McNally, Falvey
DF: Deegan, Friel, Doran, S Delaney, L Delaney, Dempsey, Smith, Fullum, Dillon, Rafferty, Long
Subs All Used: O’Riordan, Fisher, McCann, Sheehan, Mulreaney, O’Doherty, Scanlon, McCarthy
Referee: Ray Conlon (Midlands)