Seasiders add Under-11 silverware
CURRACLOE UNITED 3 WEXFORD YOUTHS 1
CURRACLOE UNITED added to the previous weekend’s Under-12 cup glory with an emphatic 3-1 win over Wexford Youths in the Wexford Schoolgirls Under-11 Cup final in Murrintown on Saturday.
Having already being crowned champions of the Under-11 Premier Division, Curracloe were big favourites to do the double, with their cup final opposition finishing at the opposite end of the table.
They certainly lived up to the hype and overall they were the better team over 40 minutes, with their superior technical quality paving over the clear physical advantage that the Ferrycarrig side possessed.
They took the lead with their first real attack in the sixth minute. Molly O’Brien’s blocked shot eventually fell at the feet of Zara Corrigan who connected well and beat Ava Whelan at her near post.
Layla Stafford had fired over the crossbar for the Youths before a creative passing move ended with Corrigan finding Caoimhe Carley who also lifted her shot above the woodwork.
There was one more big scare for Wexford before the half-time whistle. Ciara Whelan’s ball over the top allowed Corrigan to flick over Ava Whelan, but the Youths netminder recovered just in time to prevent a certain goal.
The second-half was dominated to an even greater extent by the seasiders, but only after a clear turning point in the game came in the 26th minute.
It began with Wexford Youths’ most meaningful attack thus far. Stafford found Aoife Doran in the box and her rocket towards goal was somehow held by the impressive Jessie Murphy in Curracloe’s net.
Then, less than two minutes later, Curracloe doubled their lead. Molly O’Brien’s ball was met on the half-volley by Polly Redmond who clinically found the bottom left corner of the net.
They should have added a third sooner than they did, as Corrigan sent an array of efforts narrowly wide.
One of them was directly from a corner, ghosting across the goalmouth and lacking just the tiniest bit more curve required to find the back of the net.
Corrigan was a central figure in the game at this point and she almost grabbed herself an assist to add to her early goal. Her cross was flicked onto the crossbar by Redmond as Curracloe searched for the killer goal.
Youths had a spell after the introduction of the technical Niamh White which would make one question why she wasn’t introduced earlier, but almost as soon as Wexford began to rise, Redmond provided the killer blow, toe-poking in at the near post to make it 3-0 in injury time.
Youths did grab a consolation when Stafford’s long-range effort crept past the ‘keeper, but it came far too late to mount any sort of a comeback as Curracloe United closed out the Under-11 Cup.
Curracloe United: Jessie Murphy; Molly O’Brien, Rebecca Power, Caoimhe Carley; Zara Corrigan, Ciara Whelan; Polly Redmond. Sub. (rolling) - Erin O’Brien.
Wexford Youths: Ava Whelan; Alesca Clancy, Rachel Cullen; Aoife Walsh, Layla Stafford, Emma O’Leary; Aoife Doran. Subs. (rolling) - Siofra Gabbett, Niamh White.
Referee: Elaine Casey.