Lydon Cup success for ATU Sligo women
ATU SLIGO’S senior women’s soccer team have won another national title. On Wednesday of last week they secured the CUFAI Lydon Cup thanks to a 6-3 defeat of University of Limerick in the final that took place in Maynooth.
ATU Sligo were 2-0 down at halftime but a tremendous second-half recovery saw them take the spoils. Team captain Emma Doherty provided the inspiration – she scored a hat-trick and was named Player of the Match. Also on target for the team managed by Jason McCartney was Aoife Gallanagh (who scored the winning goal in the semi-final against UCC), Erin Coyle and Ciara Henry.
“It was a great result for us,” said goalscorer Emma Doherty, who is a sports scholar at ATU Sligo.
Doherty, who has been the top scorer for the Sligo Rovers senior women’s team over the last two
Niall Morahan whose role as a midfield anchor has been impressive in these opening games. Stepping up to the plate as the new captain, Morahan has certainly embraced this role and the responsibilities that come with it as he strides around the middle of the park with a sense of purpose and authority we rarely saw before from a man who, until last season, was always the youngest of the midfield options.
As poor as Dundalk were on Monday night, it was this solid foundation which allowed the Rovers attack to thrive with virtually every move forward looking as though it could end in a goal. seasons, says that the high number of players who feature for both Rovers and ATU Sligo is a help.
The squad also worked hard throughout the campaign and, as Doherty pointed out, camaraderie also made a difference.
“We have a lot of training sessions during the week, between Rovers and the college, and our manager Jay [Jason McCartney] does a lot of extra work with us – there was high numbers at training and that was good.
“We would have know Jay from working with him at Rovers last year – he was very good to the new players that came into the squad.
The Donegal native, who hails from Buncrana, added: “The standard was really good – we were in the [Women’s] Premier Division and in all of those games we were up against players from the League of Ireland. There were no easy games.”
That very foundation will face its biggest test yet this Saturday when it looks to stem the tide of a Shamrock Rovers side who are desperate to get their first win of the season under their belt.
The Hoops are plagued by injuries yet still boast the attacking prowess of Rory Gaffney, Darragh Burns, Sligo’s Johnny Kenny and Aaron Greene, all of whom can cause plenty of problems from the first whistle to the last.
Monday’s game has been a very timely lift for what promises to be a big occasion at The Showgrounds. It felt like a statement performance and result from Rovers. What a message a big result over the reigning champions would send as the Bit O’Red look to continue proving the doubters wrong.
This recent success adds to last season’s double when ATU Sligo won the CUFAI Women’s Division One title and the CUFAI O’Regan Cup.
The return of the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division this Saturday – Rovers are away to Dublin outfit Shelbourne – will see Doherty aiming to continue her goalscoring form for the Bit O’Red.
“There are some new players in, we’ve had a good pre-season and hopefully it will go well.”
ATU Sligo senior women’s soccer squad: Bonnie McKiernan, Lauren Fitzgerald,
Leah Kelly, Sarah Kiernan, Kate Nugent, Nadine Hargadon, Maisie Farrell, Seren Ward, Aine Gorman, Aoife Gallanagh, Ciara Henry, Erin Coyle, Niamh Hayes, Nola Eivers, Ciara Forkan, Emma Doherty, Robin Carey, Sorcha Reddy, Rebecca Doddy,
Grace Creegan
Management: Jason McCartney (manager), James Fallon, Conor Rushe, Keela Scanlon