Railway Came Back From 2-0 Down at UCD and the Unbeaten Run Rolls On
Railway Union do not lose. They just find ways not to.
The leaders were 2-0 down at half-time away at UCD on Sunday, in the biggest test of their season so far, and they still came away with a point. Maebh Le Roux and Micaela Sanderson dragged them back into it, and then Hollai Quinn scored what Hockey World News called a beautiful goal to make it 2-2. Eight rounds gone, still unbeaten, and still six points clear at the top of the women’s EY Hockey League.
It is the kind of result that tells you more about a team than a comfortable win does. UCD had them beaten at the break in Belfield. Railway found another gear, and by the end it was UCD hanging on. That is what champions do, and Railway are starting to look like a side that believes it.
The draw followed Friday night’s 3-1 win over Pembroke, so it has been a four-point weekend for the leaders, and a statement one. Pembroke were their nearest rivals at the time, and Railway dealt with them under the lights before backing it up with the comeback in Dublin.
Next up for Railway are the bottom two, Pegasus and Monkstown. On this form, nobody will be betting against the unbeaten run stretching further. The chasing pack, though, will be watching the gap. Six points is a lot in November, but it is not a procession yet, not with this many rounds still to play.
For our money, the title race in Ireland now runs through Railway, and everyone else knows it. The question is no longer whether they can be caught. It is whether anyone can actually beat them.
