Aghaderg 7-14 v 8-11 Saul
The Aghaderg U-15 girls were very unlucky not to come away with a win after a high scoring and very entertaining game in Saul this afternoon.
The reds were struggling for numbers this morning and it looked like we might not be able to field, until some brave U-13 players stepped forward so we could take the challenge to Saul.
In extremely hot conditions Aghaderg dominated the first 30 minutes leading 4-06 to 4-01 at half time. Cara Brackenbury and Clodagh Simpson were the leading scorers in first half with some great movement and finishing. Saul has some very talented attackers that ran the ball at our defence creating a number of excellent chances, slotting four of them to the net. Niamh McAlinden proved her worth again between the sticks for the reds, making 3 or 4 more excellent saves, efforts that Saul would have expected to finish.
The third quarter was evenly balanced with the reds just out scoring Saul by 2-04 to 1-06 in a very evenly balanced contest. The leakage of goals had been stemmed by holding Katie Mooney and Eimear Smith in the centre of the backline and thereby denying the Saul runners space. Olivia Devlin finished to the net in the third quarter to keep her personal score tally ticking over.
The reds went into the final quarter of the game with a 6 point lead. The first few minutes of the last quarter were evenly balanced, and the reds kept the scoreboard ticking over with another goal from Olivia and points from Georgia Goodman, Niamh Moran, Cara and Clodagh.
Saul kept pressing and were putting severe pressure on the Aghaderg backline. Cara McAuley, Aisling Burns and Cliodhna McGrath all played an important role repelling the Saul attacks and starting our counter moves. Macie Haggart, with her boundless energy, provided a vital link at mid-field between the reds back lines and forward lines. The scores in this final quarter were evenly matched as we headed into the last few minutes, 1-05 for Aghaderg to Saul’s 2-03, so still 5 points in it.
In the last two attacks of the game Saul finished a well worked move to the Aghaderg net, an effort we were unlucky not to stop as there were plenty of players back. From the kick out the ball was collected by Saul and kicked in to be cleared for a 50. The Saul player then proceeded to kick the 50 over the bar from the ground, worth 2 points, and the game finished in a draw.
The team was captained by Chloe Treanor. Lauren Devlin and Sarah Morgan made the step up to U-15 today with two fine performances.
All in all, it was a really good team performance from the Aghaderg girls with some great skill, athleticism and heart on display. It is no mean feat to go to Saul without 5 of your normal starters and come away with a draw. All of the girls should be proud of their performances today, they certainly did the jersey and the club proud.
Finally, a huge thank you to Maria McGrath who has very generously sponsored a set of jerseys for the Under-15 girls football team. The jerseys got their first run out today and the team looked absolutely fantastic.
Thank you Maria.