Girls U12 Div: 2 Colemanstown 4–0 Loughrea. An early Sunday morning kick off produced a lively & entertaining contest as Colemanstown & Loughrea played out a fast paced, end-to-end opening 20 mins. Both sides showed great confidence on the ball as they worked it well through the wings & created chances at either end. With regular keeper Emily Tuohy unavailable, the ever smiling Faye Ryan stepped into the No.1 jersey & delivered a superb performance. She produced a series of excellent saves & set Colemanstown on the attack repeatedly with accurate kick outs & clever deliveries over the top which created opportunities for Lucy Burke Hardiman, Ella Kavanagh, Katelyn Mannion & Elise Rohan. As half time approached, the breakthrough finally arrived. After a period of sustained pressure, Elise Rohan found space & buried her effort into the Loughrea net to give Colemanstown a slender 1–0 advantage at the interval.
Colemanstown re-emerged from the break brimming with energy & quickly took control of the game. Intelligent passing play from deep, marshalled by Caoimhe Greene & Sadie Devaney allowed the midfield unit of Holly Mellody, Eve Corcoran & Erin Holmes to drive the team forward. A midfield tussle saw the ball break kindly to Elise Rohan, who delivered a pinpoint cross into the six-yard box. Lucy Burke Hardiman was on hand to steer it home & in doing so doubled the lead & suddenly the momentum firmly swung in Colemanstown’s favour. Loughrea continued to pose a threat at times with some inventive attacking play, but the Colemanstown defence stood resolute. The back line of Chloe Burke, Ciara Maybin & Realtín Saunders managed every aspect of danger with great composure. Then a swift counter attack from deep in Colemanstown’s territory released Katelyn Mannion, who capitalised on her chance & slotted home the third Sunday morning goal. Despite the scoreline, Loughrea didn’t give up but it was Colemanstown who struck once more. A surging run down the left from Realtín Saunders ended with a perfectly weighted pass into the feet of the ever alert & pacey Lucy Burke Hardiman, who fired an unstoppable shot into the net to make it 4–0 & seal the victory in style. Colemanstown U12 Girls remain unbeaten in the league & now sit firmly on top of the league table, although it’s early days yet! Final score from Colemanstown: Colemanstown 4-0 Loughrea Rams
Match Report: Trio Brian Saunders, Shane Kavanagh & young Realtín Saunders