Bray Wanderers 1 UCD 3
Despite leading 1-0 at the break, Bray suffered a 3-1 loss in their opening EA SPORTS MU20 LOI Group A home game of the 2025 season.
Max McLaughlin had the Seagulsl ahead at the interval on Saturday afternoon at Berryfield Park in Enniskerry.
But three goals in seven second half minutes saw UCD leave with all three points.
After home goalkeeper Sam Baker bravely blocked the breaking Odhran McLaughlin in the box in the tenth minute, Wanderers took a 26th minute lead.
From Joshua Kerr’s dinked ball over the top down the right wing, Ethan Cheese cut-back to pick out Max McLaughlin in the box. He controlled with chest before swivelling to angle in a low 15-yard right footed half volley to the net.
The visitors responded on the half hour with Baker requiring two attempts to gather Sean Mackey’s drive.
Then in the 38th minute, Adam Brennan changed down Baker’s clearance in the penalty area. But the away striker’s follow up effort crashed back off the upright.
The Student’s levelled the contest in the 61st minute.
Twice, the Wanderers defence failed to clear properly. The ball dropped to Brennan whose placed finish evaded a wrong footed Baker.
Then just 90 seconds later, Colin Bolton’s cross saw Brennan shoot close in., Baker initially saved. But the ball ran loose and the int eh scramble that followed, Odhran McLaughlin bundled the ball over the line.
It became 3-1 in the 67th minute.
Odhran McLaughlin’s left win run and cross saw the ball run across the box to Mackey with the full back unleashing a thunderous shot into the top left hand corner of the net.
The Green and White’s had the chancer to pull one back in the 80th minute. But Alain Kizenga saw his snap- shot from 16-yard superbly tipped over by Noah Douglas.
Bray Wanderers: Sam Baker; Alain Kizenga, Luke Smith, Caleb O'Neill, Destiny Avenbuan; Joshua Kerr, Luke Nolan; Ethan Cheese; Max McLaughlin; Phillip Cooney; Leon Keogh.
Subs: Jack Nolan, Leon Creighton, Isaac Millington, Ilya Bednakovs, Abdurahman Bouderbala, Bradley Byrne, Edvinas Jakas.
UCD: Noah Douglas; Sean Mackey, Harry Whelan, Don O'Toole, Ethan Hall; Callum Wynne Patrick Manning; Odhran McLaughlin, Colin Bolton, Kyle Donoghue; Adam Brennan.
Subs: Eoin Maher, Geordy Lavin, Marven Chan, Luca Kelly, Hugh Martin, Karl Andrade.
Referee: Ihor Makarenko. Assistants: Ruben Collins, Sam Ralph.
* Elsewhere in the section, Bohemians defeated Shamrock Rovers 2-1 at Roadstone while Wexford FC overcame Klub Kildare 5-3 at FBD Hotels and Resorts Park.
* Bray are scheduled to be at home on March 8 – against Klub Kildare (venue to be confirmed).
Share this post: