The game was played on the Army’s excellent sand-based Prunty pitch in warm sunshine and they took the lead on 28 minutes when Wexford Youths striker Chris Kenny collected a throw-in, swivelled and volleyed high into the net past goalkeeper Joe Coll.
The Universities went close to an equaliser when Shane Daly-Butz headed Ger O’Boyle’s cross over but he was whistled back for offside, Danny O’Connell had a shot saved and then Daly-Butz set up Jason Lyons to put the ball in the net but he too was called back for an offside decision.
Lee Delaney took a Joe Collins shot off the line for the Defence Forces on the hour mark from O’Connell’s delivery only for Declan Sheridan's team to make it 2-0 after 66 minutes.
Jody Dillon scored with a close range, side-footed finish from Friel’s cross before the Colleges and Universities pulled a goal back on 72 minutes when UCC’s Sean McLoughlin netted from Eoin McGreevey’s corner.
McLoughlin went close to an equaliser six minutes later when his header from another McGreevey corner was scrambled clear by the Army’s defensive lines and then Craig Wall on a run through from the half-way line fired just wide.
DefenceForces: Whelan (Browne h-t); Shortt, Grace, Delaney, Long; Dempsey (Wall h-t), O’Riordan (Walsh h-t); Fox (Deegan h-t), Gethins (Poutch 66), Friel; Kenny (Dillon 65).
Colleges&Universities: Coll (Daly 61); Brilly (Blake 68), McGuinness (McGreevey h-t), O’Mahony, O’Boyle (McNamara 68); O’Callaghan (Daly-Butz 20), O’Connor, Simpson (McLoughlin h-t), Collins (Taheny 62), McClelland (Coughlan h-t); Lyons (Broaders 62).
Referee: John Thompson (Cork).