Lorcan Healy top class as Students play out stalemate against Finn Harps

Lorcan Healy produced a string of quality saves to earn newly promoted UCD their first point of the season as frustrated Finn Harps had to settle for a share of the spoils at the UCD Bowl.

The College keeper showed his agility with diving saves in either direction as well as displaying excellent positional sense to make up to half a dozen stops.

Due to last week's postponement caused by Storm Eunice, Harps’ first game of the campaign saw Ollie Horgan, who had to watch from the bank behind the dugout due to a carry over of a suspension from last season, bring in six new signings.

Chief among them were international imports, Spanish defender Jose Carrillo, Croatian striker Filip Mihaljevic and French born midfielder Elie N’Zeyi.

Though UCD, with five teenagers in a side with an average age of exactly 20, including a debut for 18-year-old new signing John Ryan, passed the ball well to shade the early exchanges, it was Harps’ more direct approach that brought the first opening of note on 16 minutes.

From a second successive corner, Bastien Hery’s cross found Mihaljevic, who glanced a header wide from a promising position.

UCD continued to enjoy a good deal of the ball but struggled in the final third to trouble Harps’ solid rearguard.

Harps were having more joy at the other end as UCD needed Healy to rescue them on 22 minutes.

Barry McNamee’s cross from the left was laid off by Mihaljevic for ex-Student Yoyo Mahdy, whose drive was brilliantly turned round a post by Healy at full stretch.

And Healy had to be there again for UCD on 36 minutes with another telling stop.

Ryan and 17-year-old Eric Yoro got their wires crossed to gift McNamee a free run on goal. Healy stood up well to save with his feet from the Harps winger, who really