Curraha/St Vincents made the long trip to Oldcastle for their final Junior D Championship group-stage game and were unfortunate not to come away with something from a very tight encounter.
A series of early wides from the visitors allowed Oldcastle to establish a four-point lead before Kirsty Greene finally got Curraha/St Vincents up and running in the 20th minute after a brilliant run and exchange of passes with Róisín O'Connor. Ciara Morgan quickly reduced the gap to two, finishing well after a smart O’Connor free found Katie Tuite, who released Morgan to fire over.
The hosts were then awarded a controversial penalty, as their attacker appeared to charge and land on top of the Curraha/St Vincents defender, and the spot-kick was converted to stretch the lead to six approaching the break. The visitors responded well, Greene’s strong run setting up Morgan for another point before O’Connor turned the ball over in midfield and released Greene, who drove at the defence and slotted over herself.
Half-time: Curraha/St Vincents 0-4 Oldcastle 1-5
Oldcastle opened the second half with a point after six minutes but would not score again for the remainder of the match as Curraha/St Vincents took control. However, despite dominating possession, the visitors had to wait until the 20th minute to register a score of their own. Larissa Carey found Morgan, who split the posts with an excellent long-range effort. Morgan added another soon after following great work by Shauna White and O'Connor, but despite relentless pressure in the closing stages, Curraha/St Vincents could not find the scores to draw level.
Full-time: Curraha/St Vincents 0-6 Oldcastle 1-6
It was a frustrating evening for Curraha/St Vincents, whose wayward shooting and decision-making in front of goal ultimately proved costly. Nevertheless, there were plenty of encouraging signs, and they will be a formidable challenge for any side left in the Championship.
Next up is a trip to Piltown to face St Colmcilles in the Junior D Championship Quarter Final on Monday, September 8th at 8 pm.
Curraha/St.Vincents: Carly Parsons, Ava Cleary, Hannah Keogh, Ava Cleary, Jessica Brennan, Katelyn McMahon, Mollie Whyte, Shauna White, Larissa Cleary, Lara Parsons, Kirsty Greene(0-2), Katie Tuite, Ciara Morgan(0-4), Roisin O’Connor and Niamh Byrne.
Subs used: Lucy Andrews
