Girl power on show in Shield decider
ALBION ROVERS CAVAN SHAMROCKS 3 1
FOLLOWING on from their Under-13 girls team’s tremendous win, Albion Rovers Under-17s took their turn in the NECSL Premier Shield Final last Saturday and duly claimed some more silverware for the club.
Their opponents were Cavan Shamrocks who were no strangers to finals, having won the NECSL Cup and narrowly missed out in the league play-off decider in recent weeks.
It was a crisp afternoon in the MDL Grounds in Navan and nerves were evident in both sets of players, but Albion started the game very well and it nearly paid off in the 15th minute when Stephanie Cunningham picked up a loose ball from Cavan’s goalkeeper, only to be penalised for a foul.
Albion were the underdogs going into the game, but they certainly didn’t show it in the first half as they defended well and pinned Cavan back in their midfield.
Nevertheless, hearts were in the mouths of the Albion management team when Cavan took a shot from outside the box against the run of play in the 25th minute, and so there was relief when the ball whistled just over the crossbar.
The pitch was heavy after the previous day’s rain and you could see the evidence among the players as fatigue was setting in. Both teams had to make early changes, but that didn’t stop Albion controlling the game.
They had more chances than Cavan but just couldn’t capitalise on them and the score remained at 0-0 going into half-time.
Albion picked up in the second half where they left off in the first, defending tight and keeping their shape in midfield, pushing Cavan back into their own half.
All that effort paid off five minutes into the half when Albion kicked a high ball over the Cavan defence to the feet of Katie Newman. She was in a one-on-one situation and shot low through the legs of the goalkeeper to make it 1-0 to Albion.
Cavan put the pressure straight back on by holding the ball and pressing forward, seeking an equaliser. They found a few gaps in Albion’s defence, but keeper Niamh Smith kept the scoreline at 1-0 by making a number of good saves.
Albion then regained control and much to their delight they were 2-0 up in the 55th minute. The defence passed the ball through Cavan’s midfield to put Zoe McEvoy in another oneon-one situation. Her low shot was punched partially clear by Cavan’s keeper, but the ball fell kindly towards Lilly Winters who struck it first time into the bottom right corner.
Cavan weren’t done yet, though, and on the hour mark they were awarded a free kick and a superb shot over the defensive wall resulted in a goal - 2-1 with 20 minutes to go.
Albion continued to press forward, however, were rewarded for their efforts with a decisive third goal in the 72nd minute. A long throw from Elle Nugget into Cavan’s box was collected by Zoe McEvoy and having had her initial shot saved she had an easy tap-in from the rebound.
It was a nervous last few minutes for Albion, but they held on to win their first NECSL U-17 Girls Premier Shield.
It was a great team effort by all the girls, especially captain Kerri Anne Lane who marshalled the defence throughout, and she accepted the trophy for the winning team.
ALBION ROVERS: Ellie Nugent, Kerri Anne Lane, Elena Avarado, Lucy O’Malley, Niamh Smith, Ciara Floyd, Megan Devin, Hannah Gartland, Zoe McEvoy, Katie Newman, Lily Winters, Kate Russell, Stephanie Cunningham, Sarah Fox, Shannon Fay, Kelli McGrane, Hannah Duffy.