Moville Community College 5/ 1 Loreto Secondary School, Letterkenny
By Johnny Craig, Inish Times Sports Editor
Moville CC stormed to their second successive Ulster Junior Girls title with a brilliant display of passing football in difficult conditions at Scoil Mhuire on Friday morning (February 4)
Margaret Mulhall’s talented group were too strong for a well organised Loreto outfit who, at 2/0 down with 10 minutes remaining, were still in the game before a late flurry of goals secured the Foyleside college’s victory at a canter:
The stormy and wet conditions didn’t lend themselves to flowing attacking football but Moville started at a high tempo in an attempt to capitalise on the wind in their favour:
Striker Sara Jane McDonald went close with a shot from the edge of the box early on while Eimear Lafferty had the first shot on target after five minutes when her low effort from the right side of the box was well saved by the legs of Shauna Patterson in the Loreto goal:
Patterson had a fine game for the Letterkenny school and she produced the save of the game after 15 minutes when Aine McLaughlin let fly with a 25 yard shot that looked destined for the top right corner before it was turned around the post at full stretch by the Loreto ’keeper:
Moville finally broke the Loreto resistance on 20 minutes when substitute Roma McLaughlin broke down the right side before cutting inside and sending a looping shot from the right edge of the box to the top left corner of the net:
The Inishowen girls continued to stream forward but Loreto stood up well to the onslaught with Nadine Crawford and Sarah McGarrigle impressing in defence and Lauren Harper using the ball well in midfield:
Moville lead by the narrowest of margins 1/0 at half time:
With the wind at their backs Loreto went in search of an early equaliser and Crawford tested McLaughlin in the Moville goal with a well struck long range shot:
As the half developed Moville began to pin back Loreto and they doubled their advantage 12 minutes into the 35 minute half when Aine McLaughlin’s well weighted through ball allowed McDonald to steal a yard on her marker and she charged into the box before unleashing an unstoppable shot to the roof of the net:
Loreto attempted to respond immediately as Harper’s header from a corner on the right was saved by McLaughlin but Moville defended their lead by attacking at pace and they claimed their third with ten minutes remaining when Harper released Roma McLaughlin who coolly slipped the ball beyond the keeper from a one on one situation for her second and Moville’s third goal:
Lauren Harper gave Loreto a glimmer of hope with the goal her attacking play deserved with 8 minutes remaining when her well struck shot from 25 yards out flew into the bottom right corner:
But Moville finished the game with an exhibition of attacking football to put the game beyond doubt as the impressive Gemma McGuinness waltzed through the Loreto rearguard before tucking the ball to the bottom of the net and McDonald capped a fine performance with her second following good work by McGuinness:
MOVILLE CC: Leana McLaughlin, Rebekah Henry, Melissa McDermott, Charmaine McDermott, Kathy McLaughlin, Shannon McDonald, Aine McLaughlin, Gemma McGuinness, Eimear Lafferty, Sara Jane McDonald, Danielle McCreadie
SUBS: Roma McLaughlin, Stacey Doherty, Aine Breslin, Nicole McDermott, Leon Boyce
LORETO SS: Shauna Patterson, Nicole McLaughlin, Nadine Crawford, Sarah McGarrigle, Jamie Lee Murray, Sabhdha Medlar, Rose Boyle, Lauren Harper, Kanekia McKinney, Alice Diver, Caoimhe Brown:
SUBS: Laura Gallagher, Sinead Dunne, Louise Gallagher, Shannon Duffy
REFEREE: Danny McLaughlin