Dundalk IT ladies side have hard fought victory over MTU Cork

Dundalk IT 2-9 MTU Cork 1-10

DkIT’s ladies side booked their place in the Lynch Cup semi final with this hard fought victory over MTU Cork at Heywood Community College on Thursday.

Despite going into this contest minus several first team starters, DkIT showed their strength and depth, with several players who haven’t seen too much football this college season, producing excellent performances, and playing key roles in this huge victory, including Alex Meehan from Dublin who put in an impressive shift in a sweeper role, with Armagh panelist Erin O’Reilly and Cavan’s Eimear Finnegan finding themselves in somewhat unfamiliar defensive roles, while Naomh Martin’s Marcella Molloy also deserves plaudits for her boundless energy in fighting for the DKIT cause.

Two quickfire goals in the second quarter gave DKIT an eight point cushion at the break, with the Dundalk side edging proceedings early on, leading by 0-3 to 0-2 after 19 minutes.

Roche Emmets’ Abi Keenan was in sparkling form early on, clipping over a fine point which typified DkIT’s impressive running game, which enabled them to move the ball out of defence at pace. Players ran off the shoulder in support, with Rachel Casserly, Ciara Gilsenan, Gemma Grimes, and Mia Duffy all hugely effective in that department.

Grimes and Casserly enjoyed plenty of possession, with Grimes having 27 possessions, and Casserly with 23 over the hour.

This move for Keenan’s point started with a key interception from Caoimhe Dooley, who alongside Holly Lambe Sally and Caitlin O’Reilly displayed a defensive stubbornness and defiance that ensured MTU Cork would have to really battle for every score they gained.

After Cork’s Katie O’Driscoll who impressed over the hour, had equalised from play, Abi Keenan put DkIT back ahead following a Mia Duffy fetch from an MTU kickout, before Duffy got her name on the scoresheet to make it 0-3 to 0-1 in another flowing move involving Rachel Casserly, Alex Meehan and Dearbhla Tinnelly.

When MTU did manage to breach the DKIT defence, keeper Rebecca Lambe Fagan was once again up for the challenge as she parried away an O’Driscoll drive from a pass over the top by Aoife McTaggart, with O’Driscoll the sole Cork scorer for this half, later closing the gap from a free.

Both sides looked dangerous when they moved the ball through the hands, but it was DKIT who made hay while the sun shone with two quickfire goals to take that commanding lead into the break, with Rachel Casserly once again hitting the back of the net in another flowing move involved Gemma Grimes, and Caitlin O’Reilly, which resulted in Casserly crashing the ball home, before Grimes repeated the feat moments later, to make it 2-3 to 0-2 in her side’s favour after 22 minutes.

Mia Duffy and Katie O’Driscoll traded scores, with O’Driscoll continuing to cause problems at the other end. But some exquisite striking from Gemma Grimes and Abi Keenan gave DKIT that eight point buffer of 2-6 to 0-4 at the interval.

Second Half:

Two minutes after the restart, and MTU Cork set about bursting the DkIT bubble when Katie O’Driscoll crashed the ball home to close that gap to five, setting the cat firmly amongst the pigeons, and rejuvenating a vocal Rebel support.

Keen to assure their place in the semi finals themselves, MTU Cork put the squeeze on DkIT, managing to win five out of 12 on the Louth college’s kickout, as well as being able to move the ball out of defence quickly on their own restarts, winning 11 out of 14 over the hour, with Kayleigh McGlashin at centre half, Ruth Shanley and Margaret Collins showing well in that area.

DkIT also wasted several chances to kill this game off, kicking several shots into the keeper’s hands, and only managing to convert 8 out of 20 shots in open play.

DkIT were also indebted to keeper Rebecca Lambe Fagan who is certainly a custodian many people are running out of superlatives for, as she produced a save that was simple out of this world, at full stretch to deny sub Orla Cahalane who impressive with three second half points following her introduction.

Along with Lambe Fagan, her county team mate Holly Lambe Sally once again displayed wonderful leadership, producing countless turnovers and interceptions, alongside Caitlin O’Reilly and Caoimhe Dooley, as DKIT had their backs to the wall at times.

Mia Duffy is another player deserving of credit, as the St Kevins attacker converted two key second half frees, while Louth Intermediate final player of the match from 2021, Ciara Lennon, clipped over a well taken score following her introduction, as DKIT eked out a victory, to set up their Lynch Cup semi-final spot, and a trip to Cork on colleges final weekend.

Dundalk IT: Rebbeca Lambe Fagan; Caoimhe Dooley, Caitlin O’Reilly, Holly Lambe Sally; Erin O’Reilly, Dearbhla Tinnelly, Eimear Finnegan; Rachel Casserly (1-0), Megan Benson; Mia Duffy (0-4) (3f), Alex Meehan, Marcella Molloy; Gemma Grimes (1-1), Abi Keenan (0-3), Ciara Gilsenan.

Subs: Ealagh Toner for Finnegan (Temporary sub) (36), Eimear Finnegan for Meehan (40), Ciara Lennon (0-1) for Molloy (51).

MTU Cork: Margaret Murphy; Marie Moran, Ellen Maguire, Margaret Collins; Denise Collins, Kayleigh McGlashen, Ruth Shanley; Aoife McTaggart, Cliona McTaggart; Shannon Morrissey, Katie O’Driscoll (1-7) (2f), Siobhan Callanan; Maeve Daley, Caitlin O’Mahony, Isobel Maher.

Subs: Rachel Evans for Moran (20), Orla Cahalane (0-3) for Maher (23), Eimear Boland for Morrissey (HT), Helen Clear for O’Mahony (56).

Referee: Eoghan O’Neill