Big Week ahead for LYIT Soccer Teams – Men go for National Cup Glory and Women Look to clinch Ulster League Title
This coming week will be a massive one for the men’s and women’s soccer teams at Letterkenny IT.
On Tuesday evening at 7.30pm the ladies will look to wrap up back to back Ulster League titles when they entertain neighbours North-West Regional College from Derry in their last home league game of the season knowing that nothing less than 3 points will suffice to land their 7th league crown in the past 8 seasons a quite remarkable record if achieved.
LYIT Ladies captain is Claire McCafferty who plays her club football for Finn Valley Ladies and she is relishing the challenge. “We are unbeaten this season so far and have gone to the likes of Queens and Jordanstown and come back with big results already this season so we are looking forward to this and are quietly confident we can get the 3 points necessary,” said the 3rd year Sports Coaching and Business student, speaking at the LYIT last Tuesday after picking up a scholarship at the conferring of sports awards at a ceremony on campus.
On the men’s side the Port Road lads will head to the All Ireland final four tournaments for the 3rd time in as many years after having caused a major upset in the quarter-final stage of the competition.
Carlow IT whom had recruited 30 League of Ireland players to their BA in Soccer, Sports and Exercise degree arrived at the LYIT campus as holders of both last year’s CFAI cup and also as recent winners of the Colleges & Universities Football League (CUFL) but were stunned by an 8th minute strike by LYIT’s ace marksman Oisin McMenamin who converted a penalty he had won himself to send Niall McGonagles team through to the final four tournament which will be staged this coming Wednesday and Thursday in Castlebar, Co Mayo.
Letterkenny will square up with Dublin Institute of Technology at 3pm on Wednesday in one semi-final, while GMIT and Dundalk IT will lock horns in the other. Both teams are coached and managed by Buncrana Hearts manager Niall McGonagle and he is assisted by Tommy Harkin of Fanad United.
