Connacht Ladies 4-17 Boston Shamrocks 3-8
Connacht Ladies took a second victory in the Ladies senior
football championship with an impressive win.
The westerners built up a large first half lead and early in the second
added to it to give the Shamrocks a cliff face to climb. The Shamrocks did make a burst in the second
half, but by that stage the horse had bolted the barn. With the best of 5 format, the Connacht
Ladies are one win away from repeating as champions.
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| Anna Bolger shoots for goal. |
Connacht Ladies went in at the break with a seven point
advantage. At corner forward Sinead
McGovern was on form and the Connacht Ladies controlled the middle of the
field. Aoife Heffernan covered a lot of
ground and banged in the first goal after a well worked move. Emma McGovern was the ball winner for the
second goal, and it found its way to her name sake, Sinead McGovern who finished
from close range.
Stacey Fuller was busy in goal for the Shamrocks and made
some excellent stops when a goal looked imminent, but the westerners took their
points and the lead continued to grow.
McGovern in the corner was on the mark with three points, while Emma
McGovern, Ciara Stringer and Michaela McGuigan also contributed in the point
column. The Shamrocks made up some of
the difference towards the end of the half with points from Eadoin Connolly,
Laura Kiernan and Paula Doran but it was an uphill battle for the girls in
green. With Jane Ward sitting in the
Connacht Ladies back line, the Shamrocks forwards were forced into turning the
ball over on several occasions and it was apparent that a goal would be needed
sooner rather than later once the second half began. At the break it was a 2-9 to 0-7 Connacht
lead.
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| Sinead McGovern on the run at the Shamrocks defence. |
The Shamrocks needed some quick scores to get off to a good
start for the second half, however, it was the Connacht Ladies who had added
seven more points to their lead within 5 minutes of the restart. Not what the doctor ordered from a Shamrocks
viewpoint. A somewhat fortunate goal got
the ball rolling after a free kick came high off the post and Ward was on hand
to palm the ball into the net. Points
followed in quick succession from McGovern, McGuigan and Emma Hegarty, and the
writing was on the wall.
The Shamrocks put in a mini comeback and threw players
forward in an effort to make a comeback.
Paula Doran slotted away a penalty after substitute Lauren Jacobsen was
pulled down in the box. A second goal
soon followed from McDonald and the Shamrocks had some momentum, another goal
would pull the Connacht Ladies back into view.
It began to look as though we might have the makings of a good finish.
It was not to be. On
the attack again, the Shamrocks won a free kick however, it was intercepted by
the Connacht Ladies, and with Shamrocks players committed forward, the
westerners swept downfield on the break.
The Shamrocks protested that there should have been a sin bin offence,
but with the ball changed hands and a 2 on one, McGovern finished another goal
and the curtains on a Shamrocks comeback closed. A third goal from the Shamrocks added some
respectability to the final score, but it is the Connacht Ladies with the big advantage
in the best of 5 series. One more win
and the Ladies will be crowned champions again.
Shamrocks: Stacey
Fuller, Cathy McEleaney, Doireann Peeto-Dennehy, Erin Cody, Katie O’Donnell,
Anna Bolger, Laura Kiernan, Eadoin Connolly, Paula Doran, Shannon Costello,
Sarah Jane McDOnald, Ciara Mallon, Katie Stapleton, Shannon Reilly.
Connacht Ladies:
Rachel O’Driscoll, Catherine Cullen, Shauneen McAleer, Jackie McDonagh,
Catherine Boyle, Shauna Hynes, Dearbhla McGovern, Emma Hegarty, Aoife
Heffernan, Ciara Forde, Emma McGovern, Ciara Stringer, Michaela McGuigan, Jane
Ward, Sinead McGovern.
By Rory O'Donnell
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