Our U15 Girls were simply firing on all cylinders in Athenry on Sunday around noon with a good all-round performance against neighbours Athenry in Round 1 of the Championship Cup. Colemanstown started strong against a somewhat depleted Athenry squad who fielded with the bare 11 players while fresh legs helped Colemanstown’s young ladies to a 3-0 comfortable win. Colemanstown were not afraid to shoot and opened their account on the 4th min through Saoirse Cooley who drilled her effort low & hard from the edge of the 18’ box with Lucy Roberts & Niamh Kennedy instrumental in the move. Grace Mitchell on her first start for the U15s (rightfully U13) was constantly running at the Athenry defence but the Athenry custodian was in fine form and there’s no doubting the scoreline would have been much greater only for her heroics. She even managed to save a full force volley from Mitchell midway through the 1st half.
The visitors doubled their advantage on the half hour mark as a Saoirse Moran clearance from the back found Ailish Molloy on the right wing and Libby Kennedy’s thunderbolt was powered home. At this stage Ally Nutley was a powerhouse in defence while Edel Egan had a handy enough afternoon between the posts although capably dealt with any danger that came her way. Lily Mannion was introduced before half time to add a fresh burst of energy to the strikeforce. Saoirse Cooley capped off a good afternoon for herself when she scored her 2nd just before the break. Keva Hynes’ clearance was helped on by Niamh Kennedy who found Eva Molloy and her slick pass to Saoirse Cooley saw her with time to shoot but as her first attempt was saved, she reacted quickest to the rebound to slam home No. 3.
The second half saw the visitors in complete control. Fresh legs were introduced in the form of Annalise Doran in midfield & Alma Hynes, up front. Sinead Rohan was constantly running at Athenry defence while Orna McNama got a few shots on goal although the keeper was equal to the task. The home side did attempt to make a spirited comeback, but Colemanstown’s defence stood firm as the entire team stamped their authority on the remainder of the game & were unfortunate not to extend their winning margin.
This win sees Colemanstown advance to Round 2 of the Cup. Their next league outing is a top of the table clash against table toppers Moyne Villa on Feb 6th in what should be a pulsating encounter.
Meanwhile our U13 Girls had an early morning trip to Kiltormer to take on East Galway United. The hosts dominated the game for the first quarter and goaled within 10mins. However, the Colemanstown ladies got to grips with proceedings & dominated the midfield area from then on. They created chances through power houses Chloe Flynn, Lily Kirby, Grace Mitchell & Rachel Kennedy but their efforts at goal were mis –queued or squandered. Honor Tuohy in goals was sharp and quick to read the play. Aisling Ruane & Aoife Hynes were excellent in defence well supported by centre backs Leah O’Connor & Roisin Ruane. Liliana King & Clodagh Flynn deserve credit for the way they got the girls moving in midfield while Anna Barrett & Shona Barrett fought for every 50/50 ball up front alongside Grace Mitchell & Rachel Kennedy. In the 2nd half, Nicole Brennan helped to freshen things up in midfield while Ruby Philips was tenacious in defence as she sparked a positive response in the 2nd half.
As soon as the Colemanstown girls settled into the game, the hosts rubbed salt in the wounds by adding 2 more goals to add to the woes. From there on the comeback was an uphill task but the girls fought to the end as they tried to salvage something out of the game. They showed plenty of threat going forward with Grace Mitchell, Clodagh Flynn & Lily Kirby creating further 2nd half half-chances. However, the game petered out as the Kiltormer side prevailed 3-0.