Academy girls down the Dean after extra-time in Ulster Final

Dean Maguirc Carrickmore 2-10   St Patrick’s Academy Dungannon 3-16

AN extra time flourish that produced 1-5 proved enough for St Patrick’s Academy as they claimed the Ulster Ladies Post Primary Schools U-16 B title at Rock on Tuesday.

Despite a thrilling fight back from Dean Maguirc which took the game to extra-time, the quality of Lauren O’Neill, Aoife Quinn, Aine Nelis and Dungannon captain Cara McMoran proved too much for the valiant Carrickmore side.

The Academy had all the momentum going down the home straight leading by four points but the narrative changed when Katie Marley’s free rattled off the crossbar and was turned into the Dungannon goal by Jenna McClean. The Acadeny responded with a stunning McMoran point in injury time only for ace Dean attacker Marley to take the game to extra time with a score at the other end.

The Academy were wasteful at times during a low key first period but led at the break by two as Carrickmore were reduced to fourteen players with a yellow card.

Marley opened the scoring against the breeze with a close range free, before McMoran and Nelis popped over Dungannon points. Both sides exchanged wides before a superbly weighted ball from the Academy’s Tess Daly found Quinn who beat Dean keeper Minnie McCallan from close range.

On twenty two minutes Marley boosted the Dean’s prospects. She reacted sharply when Chloe Murphy’s effort came off the base of the post and urned the ball to the net. Marley added a second Dean point before the break but after Jodie McAlinden was yellow carded both Nelis and Quinn tagged on late Dungannon points.

On the restart O’Neill, who was a dominant figure for the Academy, got on the scoreboard while Nelis landing a mammoth point from the right. Mc Callan made a great stop, one of several through the half, as she turned away a McMoran shot.

Points from Marley and Murphy, after good build up play from Grainne Donnelly and McAlinden, kept the Dean in touch although at the end of the third quarter St Patrick’s led by four again thanks to the accuracy of O’Neill.

The Dungannon side were in control for much of the second half before fortune shone on Carrickmore with Mc Clean turning in a goal. Marley then levelled before Lucie Murphy finished a sweeping move with a cracking point to nudge the Dean ahead.

With scores from Quinn and Mc Moran looking to have sealed the deal Markey had the simplest of close range frees to level things.

The Academy then turned the screw in the first period of extra time after an exchange of Marley and Nelis points.

McMoran, O’Neill and Nelis combined to transfer possession across to Quinn who fired home a goal. A hat-trick of O’Neill points, and Nelis score, added to the Dungannon tally, as the Academy led by seven at the mini-break. Carrickmore desperately clung on with early second period points from their player of the match Marley and Katie Rose Donnelly but there was no late comeback this time.

O’Neill drilled home a penalty and added a late free to ensure a nine point win for the Academy despite a spirited display by the Dean.

Scorers

Dean Maguirc: Katie Marley 1-7, Jenna Mc Clean 1-0, Chloe Murphy, Lucie Murphy and Katie Rose Donnelly 0-1.

St Patrick’s Academy: Lauren O’Neill 1-7, Aoife Quinn 2-2, Aine Nelis 0-5, Cara McMoran 0-2

Teams

Dean Maguirc: Minnie McCallan, Niamh Slane, Caoimhe Kerr. Aoibeann Haughey, Aoife Grogan, Ava Marley, Caitlin Stewart, Chloe Murphy, Grainne Donnelly, Lucie Murphy, Roise Mc Callan, Jodie McAlinden, Aoife McGlinchey, Jenna McClean, Katie Marley. Subs: Katie Rose Donnelly For Mc Glinchey, CVaitlin McHugh for Stewart, Chloe McHugh for R Mc Callan, Niamh O’Gara for McAlinden

St Patrick’s Academy: Aoibheann Watt, Aimee Devlin, Aoife Black, Natalie Manzjuke, Tess Daly, Therese Loughran, Ellie McCarty, Cara McMoran, Amy Holmes, Ceallaigh Rafferty, Aine Nelis, Lauren O’Neill, Aoife Quinn, Aine McDonald, Lily Skelton Lambe. Subs: Emily Boyd for Lambe, Rose Lavery for Daly,

Referee: Eugene Mullan