Railway Stay Top and the Shootouts Keep Coming in the Women’s EYHL
Railway Union got their weekend’s work done early, and nobody caught them.
The leaders beat Pembroke 3-1 under the lights on Friday night, Amy Elliott scoring twice and Sarah Hawkshaw adding the third, with Hannah McDermott replying for Pembroke. That win keeps Railway top of the women’s EY Hockey League, and they’ve looked like the side to beat all season.
Saturday brought two more shootouts, and the bonus points are starting to matter. UCD and Old Alexandra finished 1-1, Sophie Barnwell scoring for UCD and Abbie McEvoy for Old Alex, before UCD took the shootout 2-1. Loreto and Monkstown also finished level at 2-2, Grace McMullan and Enya Curran scoring for Loreto, Hannah Kelly and Siobhan Ryan for Monkstown, and this time it was Monkstown who took the shootout, 2-1.
Queen’s won the day’s only game settled in normal time besides Railway’s. They came away from Pegasus with a 2-1 win, Laura McKee and Abbie Thompson on target. Portadown beat Ards 2-1 as well, Emma Russell and Kira Watson scoring for the home side and Robyn Agnew replying for Ards.
For our money, the shootout bonus point is quietly shaping this league. Two games drawn on Saturday, two different winners in the shootout, and those extra points are the difference between sitting fourth and sitting seventh by the time the table settles. Railway are clear at the top for now, but the chasing pack is bunched tight behind them, and every bonus point counts double when the margins are this fine.
