U13 Girls; Div1; Colemanstown 0:0 Kinvara. Colemanstown’s U13 girls produced a strong all-round performance in this latest Div.1 league encounter early this Sunday morning, but unfortunately had to settle for a share of the spoils following a scoreless draw with Kinvara. Colemanstown were on top for large spells of the game & created some excellent opportunities, with Lucy Burke-Hardiman, Holly Mellody & Elise Rohan all going close. Despite enjoying plenty of possession & territory, the girls just couldn’t find the breakthrough their performance deserved.
At the other end, Emily Tuohy had a relatively quiet morning between the posts, thanks in no small part to a rock-solid defensive display from Kayla Grealish, Ella Kavanagh, Realtin Saunders & Chloe Burke, who kept Kinvara’s attacking threat firmly under control. The midfield unit of Caoimhe Greene, Lucy Burke Hardiman, Eve Corcoran & Holly Mellody, also deserve great credit as they put in a tremendous shift throughout & showed great energy, determination & work rate while up front Grace Reddington & Erin Holmes pulled all the strings.
Inter-league signing Elise Rohan made an immediate impact following her introduction & brought plenty of energy with her tireless running & probing forward runs. Youngsters Maebh Flannery & Sadie Devaney also came on & helped steady the ship & contributed to what was a real squad effort from everyone involved. There was probably an opportunity to take all three points on this occasion. The result leaves Colemanstown with their 2nd draw of the season as they continue their search for that elusive first league victory. Keep working hard girls – the wins will come! Match Report: Kerrill Hardiman
Squad: Emily Tuohy, Kayla Grealish, Ella Kavanagh, Realtin Saunders, Chloe Burke, Lucy Burke Hardiman, Holly Mellody, Caoimhe Greene, Grace Reddington, Eve Corcoran, Erin Homes, Elise Rohan, Sadie Devaney Meabh Flannery.
U15 Girls: Championship: Colemanstown 0-3 Moyne Villa. Colemanstown United U15 girls suffered a 3–0 defeat at home to Moyne Villa on Sunday in a game that was much more evenly contested than the final scoreline might suggest. Both sides started brightly, with little separating the teams during the opening 15 minutes. Clear-cut chances were at a premium, although Colemanstown came closest to breaking the deadlock when Julie Holohan found herself one-on-one with the Moyne Villa goalkeeper. Julie struck a good effort towards goal, but the visiting keeper produced an excellent save to her right to keep the scores level. As the half progressed, Moyne Villa began to settle into the game and eventually took the lead following a quick counterattack. Colemanstown were caught slightly exposed in a two-on-two situation at the back, allowing the Moyne Villa attacker to beat her defender before finishing past goalkeeper Emily Tuohy. Despite the setback, Colemanstown remained competitive throughout the opening half. Laoise Naughton put in a strong defensive performance, while Laura Hayes impressed with some excellent attacking play and determination going forward. Defensively, Colemanstown were generally solid, but clear goalscoring opportunities proved difficult to create. The teams went into the interval with Moyne Villa holding a slender 1–0 advantage.
Colemanstown made a number of changes in the second half, with Lauren O’Grady and Ava Forde among those introduced as the home side looked to find a way back into the contest. The second half continued to be a competitive affair, although Moyne Villa’s attacking quality, particularly in the wide areas, began to have a greater influence on proceedings. Midway through the half, Moyne Villa doubled their advantage through an excellent individual effort from their right winger. Picking up possession out wide, she drove forward, weaving her way past several Colemanstown players before firing an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net.
Colemanstown continued to battle and enjoyed spells of pressure, creating a number of half chances as they searched for a way back into the game. However, the home side struggled to find the attacking fluency that has been a feature of some of their stronger performances this season. With approximately ten minutes remaining, Moyne Villa added a third goal, this time through their dangerous left winger. Another strong individual run saw her beat several defenders before finding herself one-on-one with the goalkeeper and finishing well. To their credit, Colemanstown kept pushing until the final whistle, with Lauren O’Grady testing the visiting goalkeeper with a late effort on target.
While the result was disappointing, there were positives for Colemanstown to take from the performance. The defensive effort, particularly during the first half, was encouraging, with Ciara Somers, Julie Holohan, Laura Hayes, Katie Geary and Siana O Grady putting in strong displays in midfield. Ultimately, the difference between the sides was Moyne Villa’s quality on both wings, with their two wide players proving particularly difficult to contain and contributing two excellent individual goals. The 3–0 scoreline was perhaps a little harsh on Colemanstown, who competed well for long periods but were ultimately undone by moments of individual quality. Plenty to build on as the girls look to bounce back in their next outing. Match Report: Garry O’Grady
Squad: Emily Tuohy, Lauren Murphy, Laoise Naughton, Amy Morrissey, Chloe Laffey, Julie Holohan, Siana O’Grady, Kate Geary, Ciara Somers, Laura Hayes, Aoibhinn Doyne, Lauren O’Grady, Ava Forde, Mia Corcoran, Aoife Flynn, Brooke O’Brien, Caoimhe Cleary, Kayla Maloney.
U12 Girls Connacht Cup: Colemanstown 1 – 1 Castlebar Celtic. (Castlebar Celtic won 2-1 on penalties) This was a fantastic performance from our U12 girls in the Connacht Cup as they went toe-to-toe with a formidable Castlebar Celtic side. The girls showed great heart, determination & quality throughout & gave it absolutely everything against mammoth opposition. Lexi Hansberry got herself on the scoresheet with a well taken goal as Colemanstown produced a performance to be proud of.
There was nothing to separate the sides over the course of the game, with penalties eventually having to decide the contest. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for our girls, going down 2-1 in the shootout. It was a heartbreaking way to exit the Connacht Cup competition, but the performance, attitude & team spirit on show for Liam Flannery’s charges was outstanding. There’s plenty to be proud of in this performance girls.
U18 Girls: Championship: Colemanstown 0-8 Knocknacarra B. It was a tough afternoon for our U18 girls at home on Sunday as they came up against a strong Knocknacarra B side. It was a difficult day for Colemanstown as the visitors took their chances well to come away with the points. While the result wasn’t what we wanted, these are the days that test a team & provide opportunities to learn, regroup & come back stronger. The girls will dust themselves down, get back to work & look ahead to the next challenge.