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On Saturday 14th November 2009, Greenisland Ladies 2nd XI hosted Dromore 2nd XI in the first round of the Irish Junior Cup.
From the whistle, a determined Greenisland side dominated play making sure that the ball stayed in their opponent’s circle for the first few minutes of the match. It wasn’t long before they scored their first goal. Norma Montgomery found Audrey MacCorquodale who sent the ball into the circle where Tara Connor was waiting to put the ball into the net from a first time strike.
From the restart, Greenisland continued to attack, showing that they were not happy with just a one goal advantage. They won a number of short corners but were unable to convert any of them into goals. Play then switched and Dromore began to attack, which caused Greenisland Ladies to play very defensively for a period of time. The defence worked tirelessly to ensure that Greenisland stayed a goal ahead. Despite this there were a number of occasions when goalkeeper Leah Crooks was called upon to make a number of excellent saves which kept Greenisland in the match.
From a side-line ball Greenisland were able to switch the run of play once more. The ball was worked up the pitch where Greenisland won a short corner. In a goal mouth scrabble, Genevieve Cathcart slotted the ball into the net to give Greenisland a two goal advantage.
From the restart, Greenisland tried to continue with their attacking form, but weren’t able to as Dromore looked for a goal to keep them in the match. The opportunity came from a long corner that saw the ball eventually end up in the back of the net.
Shortly after, the half time whistle blew, with the score sitting at 2-1 to Greenisland. After a very positive and encouraging team talk from coaches Peter Browne and Jackie Nelson, Greenisland Ladies looked to keep their lead during the second half.
This wasn’t to be though, as Dromore attacked relentlessly in Greenisland’s circle causing the defensive line of Claire Mayne, Karla Hunter, Corrie Johnston and Leigh Carlin to work extremely hard to keep the score the way it was. Dromore won a series of short corners in quick succession and an equalizer came from one of these, when the ball was coolly slotted into the net from a first time strike.
Greenisland once again managed to turn the pressure round and the forward line of Norma Montgomery, Tara Connor and Gemma McGookin kept the Dromore defense busy with many shots on goal. It was from this pressure that Greenisland managed to score their third goal. A free was won just outside the circle, and so Audrey MacCorquodale took the free and carried the ball into the circle where she scored with a straight strike.
From the restart, Greenisland couldn’t manage to keep attacking and Dromore capitalized winning another series of short corners. After a well fought defensive attempt, one of these was converted when the ball slipped into the back of the net. With only a couple of minutes left in the match the midfield of Louise Archibald, Genevieve Cathcart and Audrey MacCorquodale pushed forward to try and get the ball into their opponents circle for one last attempt on goal.
The full time whistle blew and with the score lying level at three all, the match headed to golden goal in order to find a winner. Greenisland knew that in order to win they would have to keep the ball off Dromore and out of their own circle. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to do this and Dromore pressed the ball into the circle, managing to win a short corner. As the ball was pushed out, Karla Hunter sprinted to the edge of the circle, blocking the ball in its tracks and preventing Dromore from having a shot on goal. She then took the ball up the pitch, where Greenisland gave everything to get a winner.
The opportunity finally came when Greenisland won a short corner just over the twenty five yard line. Genevieve Cathcart pushed the ball out to Norma Montgomery, who slipped the ball to Tara Connor. Tara sent the ball goal-wards where Audrey MacCorquodale was waiting on the post to send the ball into the back of the net.
This left the score at 4-3 to Greenisland, allowing them to progress into the second round of the Irish Junior Cup. Player of the Match was Audrey MacCorquodale and runner-up was Leah Crooks.
Thanks must go to Jade Gardiner who worked hard in midfield for the first twenty minutes of the match and Gemma McGookin who stood in as substitutes, to Peter Browne and Jackie Nelson for all of their encouragement and also to our supporters.
Greenisland 2nd XI: L Crooks, L Carlin (Captain), C Mayne, K Hunter, L Archibald, C Johnston, A MacCorquodale, G Cathcart, T Connor, N Montgomery, J Gardiner, G McGookin
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| 15-Nov-2009 19:49 | |||||||||||||