Late flurry of goals sees Killeigh girls crowned South Leinster champions

Killeigh were crowned South Leinster champions after a hard-earned battle against Ballinahown in Moate Community School on Saturday afternoon in which they hit a flurry of goals in the last ten minutes.

SFAI Under 14 Girls South Leinster Regional final

KILLEIGH 3
BALLINAHOWN 0

It was always going to be a tight contest with Killeigh runaway leaders in the Under 14 MSL division while Ballinahown are out in front in the Under 15 league, from which the majority of their team was drawn.

To seal this title, Killeigh beat teams from Roscommon, Kildare, Laois and now Westmeath, having played every game away from home.

They are also into the last 16 in the SFAI Cup, having emphatically beaten renowned Dublin side, Stella Maris, also in an away game.

They will finally have a home game in the tournament when they face Ulster champions Keadue Rovers at Frank McEvoy Park as they aim to reach the quarter-finals of the national competition on Saturday, February 18 at 2.15pm.

Killeigh had shaded the opening half of the final in Moate and almost went ahead with a shot from Leah Stack hitting the post and running across the line and agonisingly close during that period.

With Ballinahown being defensively well organised, Killeigh found them hard to break down, despite having several shots on target.

Ballinahown enjoyed a strong start to the second half with Leah Concannon seeing a shot come back off the foot of the post early on.

They also breached the Killeigh rearguard in the wobbly spell for Killeigh and as the ball appeared to be heading for the goal, Alison Judge ran across to cover and clear the ball in a match-saving intervention which spurred Killeigh on.

With the Under 12 final earlier having gone to penalties after extra-time, it looked like Killeigh might not get that vital goal, despite exerting a lot of pressure as the game wore on.

However, in the final 10 minutes, Killiegh got that all important goal to break the Ballinahown resistance.

Emma Mooney crossed a ball into a congested box and Leah Stack hit a great shot on the spin to the bottom corner to spark jubilation.

Killeigh were very much on top now and Stack doubled her account as the game edged towards full time, with a clever lob over her shoulder..

The result was sealed in injury time when Niamh Power beat several players and finished to the net to add a third and spark joyous celebrations for the Killeigh girls and their supporters.

This was a great all-round team performance with ‘keeper Ellen Gorman proving to be a calm and composed presence, despite illness having her appearance in doubt right up to kick-off.

Full-backs Mikel O’Meara and Robyn O’Reilly particularly impressed against some strong players for Ballinahown. Niamh Coughlan and Louise Doyle were very solid at the heart of the defence.

In midfield, Alison Judge provided a solid platform and also came up with that clearance that paved the way for the Killeigh win. Emma Mooney was a stand out performer as she drove on the Killeigh team. Maddie McDonnell also had one of the games of her life as she put in a huge shift in the game, despite having to leave the pitch for a short spell with an injury.

Clodagh Scally also had an impact when introduced, while Abbie Mullan played a significant part when introduced.
Up front, Leah Stack scored two great goals, despite being tightly marked throughout the game, and was a constant threat. Blathnaid Lynch was a great outlet on the wing throughout the game and ran at the Ballinahown side, particularly in the second half.

On the other flank, Niamh Power proved a constant threat and her goal put the icing on the cake for the Killeigh girls.

Killeigh: Ellen Gorman, Mikel O'Meara, Louise Doyle, Niamh Coughlan, Robyn O'Reilly, Alison Judge, Emma Mooney, Maddie McDonnell, Niamh Power, Leah Stack, Blathnaid Lynch, Abbie Mullan, Clodagh Scally, Meabh Dillon, Cadhla Barrett, Katie Payne, Ava Flanagan, Ailish Walsh, Clodagh Rigney.