HOCKEY: LEINSTER SCHOOLGIRLS SENIOR CUP SEMI-FINAL
Heartbreaking penalty shoot out defeat for Newbridge College
NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE……………………….0
NEWPARK COMPREHENSIVE………………..0
(Newpark won 2-0 on penalties)
By Daire Walsh
THERE was heartbreak for Newbridge College at Three Rock Rovers last Wednesday at the end of their nail-biting Leinster Schoolgirls Senior Cup semi-final showdown with Newpark Comprehensive.
Following a scoreless 60 minutes of regulation time, a penalty shootout was required in order to determine the final outcome of the contest. Unfortunately, Newbridge couldn’t force their way past inspired Newpark netminder Erika Gallagher and ultimately fell short in their quest for a showpiece spot.
Nonetheless, the south Kildare outfit can be rightly proud of their efforts during the course of the action and for the way they performed throughout the competition. Caoimhe Byrne had struck the decisive goal in Newbridge’s 2-1 quarter-final success over Mount Temple and she was joined on the field by fellow Ireland U18 star Aoife Glennon – as well as Irish U16 duo Ella Kelly and Roisin Sexton.
Though they found themselves on the back-foot during the early exchanges of this tie, custodian Glennon and the accomplished Ellie Henry ensured they remained tight and compact out of possession. Having held firm until the end of the first-quarter, Newbridge gradually grew in confidence as the minutes progressed.
Mary Enright’s short corner on 18 minutes was lined up for Henry and her powerful strike was brilliantly turned away by Gallagher. Newbridge also faced down a Newpark set-piece, but the Newbridge rearguard successfully deflected the final shot away from the target.
They were generally keeping their Blackrock counterparts at bay and were posing their own threat in attack. Though Ella Kelly fired to the Newpark net on the half-hour mark, it was disallowed for being outside the scoring zone.
This meant the sides were inseparable at the interval and given all that was at stake, it was going to take something special for this impasse to be broken. Both defences remained resolute on the resumption and, as a consequence, there was precious little space for either attacking unit to prosper.
While 45 minutes passed without a goal being scored, the game did become slightly stretched moving towards the closing stages of the proceedings. Byrne was close to picking out Enright in open space on 49 minutes, but the ball slip away from the latter’s path at a crucial moment.
Newbridge briefly lost Kelly to a green card but upon her return to the fray, they attempted a final push for supremacy. Sophie Carroll’s drive at a right-hand angle produced a superb save out of Gallagher and Hannah Doyle was closing to breaking free before the retreating Newpark defensive line intervened in the nick of time.
However, as seemed largely inevitable from the opening minutes, the fate of these two courageous sides was decided on penalties. Whereas underage international stars Lauren Moore and Milly Lynch unleashed composed finishes, Byrne and Ciara O’Beirne were both denied by the imperious Gallagher.
Glennon blocked a Dara Rankin strike to give Newbridge renewed hope, only for a Henry miss – her side’s fourth in succession – to officially seal Newpark’s triumph.
NEWBRIDGE COLLEGE: Aoife Glennon, Sophie Morrissey, Aisling Elliott, Amy Coyle, Ellie Henry, Roisin Sexton, Caoimhe Byrne, Anna Young, Ciara O’Beirne, Emma Brady, Carly Killian, Laura Carroll, Hannah Doyle, Mary Enright, Mia Walsh, Sophie Carroll, Sophie Murray, Ella Kelly.
NEWPARK COMPREHENSIVE: Erika Gallagher, Lily Adams, Milly Lynch, Jessica Whelan, Jennifer O’Reilly, Dara Rankin, Lauren Moore, Orla Gul, Ava Paul, Aoife Grogan, Lily Bennett, Zoe Watterson, Jennifer Sheeran, Maud O’Connor, Iona Hamilton, Safia Hudson Fowler.