A Fabrice Hartmann brace along with another Max Mata goal propelled Sligo Rovers to their first win in three, as they saw off a battling UCD side at the Showgrounds.
Mata headed the Bit O’Red into an early lead, before Hartmann doubled the lead on 25 minutes.
The Students fought back and halved Sligo’s lead just before the interval courtesy of Mark Dignam, but Hartmann’s second of the night settled the tie.
With one win and a draw taken from their last five games, the visitors didn’t have the kind of start they would have wished for.
With just five minutes elapsed, Mata rose unchallenged to nod Kailin Barlow’s corner past Moore for his eighth goal of the year.
The Students then lost full back Evan Osam to injury and to compound the visitors’ misery, Rovers hit a second on 25 minutes.
A cute one-two down the right between Hartmann and Barlow created the space for the former to run on to the ball before smartly tucking the ball beyond Moore.
The Dubliners were handed a lifeline before the break when Dignam halved the deficit against the run of play. The midfielder lashing home a first-time effort from the edge of the D on 45 minutes.
Rovers then endured a nervy opening to the second period.
Dara Keane’s glancing header from a Ciarán Behan set-piece was held by Luke McNicholas shortly after, while Hartmann could only find the side netting after a speedy Sligo break away down the right flank on 67.
Desperate for that insurance goal, Rovers finally lifted the tension on 76 although there was more than a slice of luck involved.
Hartmann’s quick feet allowed him sail past two challenges as the German cut inside. The RB Leipzig loanee’s drive at goal took a big deflection off a UCD defender before looping over the unfortunate Moore for the winger’s third goal of the season.
Sligo Rovers: Luke McNicholas; Johan Brannefalk (Lukas Browning 83), James Finnerty, Nando Pijnaker, Reece Hutchinson; Niall Morahan, Greg Bolger; Will Fitzgerald (David Cawley 83), Kailin Barlow, Fabrice Hartmann (Frank Liivak 78); Max Mata 7 (Stefan Radosavljevic 88).
UCD: Kian Moore; Evan Osam (Daniel Norris 14), Adam Wells, Jack Keaney, Jesse Dempsey (Samuel Clarke 80); Brendan Barr, Mark Dignam; Alex Nolan, Dara Keane (Harry O’Connor 80), Ciaran Behan; Jake Doyle (Danu Kinsella-Bishop 63).
Referee: Paul McLaughlin.