Drumragh U14 girls beat Galbally in their first league game on Sunday morning
Drumragh U14 girls got their year off to a wonderful start with a fantastic win over Galbally at Clanabogan Park on Sunday morning.
Drumragh held off a late rally from Galbally to claim the two points after what was an entertaining game.
Galbally opened the scoring with a well-taken goal. And they had a lot of possession in the early stages but Drumragh defended excellently with the full-back line of Roise McDevitt, Niamh Colton and Lottie Gallagher coming up with some important turnovers and interceptions.
Roisin Gormley got Drumragh on the board with a nice score following on from good build-up play from Lily Keys, Eabha Coyle and Keira McGuigan.
Galbally went up the field for a point but Drumragh answered back with a Shauna Murray score after a strong run from Dana Coyle. Roisin Gormley did well to win the kick-out that followed and made no mistake with her shot, putting the ball over the bar.
Drumragh then went into the lead for the first time with a goal from Eabha Coyle. Eabha ran onto Roisin Gormley’s through-ball and brilliantly finished soccer-style past the goalkeeper.
The game was end-to-end. Eva McGale and Dearbhaille McLaughlin needed to be alert to stop Galbally getting in for goal chances, while Eabha Coyle and Shauna Murray forced the Galbally goalkeeper into a number of saves after good play in the forward line.
A couple of Galbally points brought the teams level, and although Roisin Gormley put Drumragh ahead again, Galbally answered back with two points on the bounce.
However, Drumragh ended the half strongly. Eabha Coyle found the back of the net for the second time, while a quick exchange of hand passes between Eireann Boyle and Lily Keys put Shauna Murray in a shooting position and she made no mistake with a composed finish. That gave Drumragh a two-point lead at half-time.
Drumragh captain Anna Clarke pictured with the Galbally captain and referee before the start of the game
Galbally cut the lead to a single point at the start of the second half with Roise McDevitt, Chloe McSwiggan and Lottie Gallagher defended well as Galbally looked to retake the lead.
Drumragh went on to have a period of dominance and were able to build a lead. First, Caitlin McCarron did well to win the ball back in the full-forward line, allowing her to fire the ball to the back of the net. Drumragh were then awarded a penalty following a foul on Shauna Murray. Roisin Gormley stepped up and coolly slotted the ball past the Galbally goalkeeper.
Shauna Murray added a good point, which Galbally responded to with a free. The away side soon after had a goal chance but Drumragh goalkeeper Chloe McGale produced a brilliant save when faced with a Galbally attacker one-on-one, with Niamh Colton and Mia McGale helping clear the rebound.
Strong build-up play from Roisin Gormley and Jennifer Barrett allowed Caitlin McCarron to score her second goal, while Roisin tagged on another point in a move started by Anna Clarke winning the ball back in the half-back line. Dana Coyle was also on target with a nice point.
Galbally came back into the game with a couple of goals and a point ensuring an exciting finish. They applied pressure but the Drumragh defence held firm to secure the opening day win.
SCORERS: Roisin Gormley 1-5, Eabha Coyle 2-0, Caitlin McCarron 2-0, Shauna Murray 0-3, Dana Coyle 0-1
TEAM: Chloe McGale, Roise McDevitt, Niamh Colton, Lottie Gallagher, Anna Clarke, Caitlin McCarron, Eva McGale, Dearbhaille McLaughlin, Dana Coyle, Eabha Coyle, Roisin Gormley, Lily Keys, Eireann Boyle, Keira McGuigan, Shauna Murray
SUBS: Jennifer Barrett, Mia McGale, Chloe McSwiggan
Anna Clarke, Dearbhaille McLaughlin, Chloe McGale, Eabha Coyle and Niamh Colton on the line defending a Galbally free in
