U10
On Thursday last our u13 team played out a thrilling County B semi final v Cashel in The Ragg. On an evening with a strong wind it was Kilruane captain Lucy O’Brien who won the toss and opted to play with the wind .
It was a close encounter from the very start, with both sets of backs on top for large parts of the game . Goalkeeper Mikaela Reddan was called into action early on and made two vital clearances . There were 9 minutes gone before Cashel registered the game’s first score , a point. They followed this up with a goal to give them a four point lead . That was to be Cashel’s last score of the half as the Kilruane girls finally began to get a hold on the game . Ava Gaynor and Lucy O’Brien combined to play Clodagh Shinners through for a great goal and ignite Kilruane . Free taker Niamh Franks pointed for Kilruane to equalize, before Emma Williams goaled to put Kilruane in front for the first time and give Kilruane a 3 point lead at half time .
The second half was to be very like the first . Once again Cashel opened the scoring with a point followed by a goal to give them the lead once again . With all the momentum and the wind at their backs it looked as if it was to be Cashel’s night . However once again a well taken Niamh Franks free was the equalizer. For the remaining minutes the Kilruane backs played like they had never played before . Full back Niamh Franks had her best game of the year and had Orlagh White and Orna Daly alongside her to support. The half back line of the Gould sisters and Sarah Cleary cleared their lines time and again. With only seconds left in ordinary time Kilruane management and supporters were preparing for extra time , when midfielder Emma Williams pushed forward to grasp a winning point from a tight angle . A nervous 5 minutes of injury time followed but the final score remained 2-3 to 2-2 in Kilruane’s favour. Team: Mikaela Reddan, Orlagh White, Niamh Franks (0-2), Orna Daly, Sarah Cleary, Leanne Gould, Lucy Gould, Hannah Grace, Emma Williams (1-1), Ali O’Kelly, Mollie Kennedy, Aoibhe Spillane, Ava Gaynor, Lucy O’Brien (capt), Clodagh Shinners (1-0). Subs: Eibhlis Hannan, Molly Carroll, Abigail Clarke, Aoife Williams.
The girls now go forward to section B county final in The Ragg Saturday August 11th at 1.30pm. We would urge as many as possible to support the girls on the day