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LADIES|Patrick Fahy and Co Solicitors Intermediate Football Championship Semi-Final.
Friday 05.08.2016
Ardboe 1-17
Loughmacrory 3-11
The first of the weekend’s championship semi-finals certainly lived up to expectations as the two sides couldn’t be separated after extra time at Rock. A pulsating game that could have gone either way but they will have to meet again on Monday night. There were some wonderful scores, quality passages of play and high drama as players from both clubs gave it all and then some.
Two players led the scoring stakes on the night. The accuracy of Loughmacrory’s Lisa McAleer (2-7) and Ardboe’s Niamh Teague (0-9) are particularly worthy of mention but it wasn’t all about the scores. There was some stout defending, a great midfield battle and really this game hung in the balance right up to the final whistle.
By the break Loughmacrory led 0-9 to 0-6 with Ardboe having a 12th minute penalty from Ciara Rocks well saved by Kellie Boyle in the loch goals. Eimear Quinn, Ally Martin, Brona Devlin and Clare Muldoon added to two points from Teague as Clare Gallagher and Sinead Donnelly joined McAleer as the score getters for a Loch side that was playing well.
Ardboe keeper Sine Mc Nally made a brave stop to deny Sinead Donnelly a certain goal with the two colliding in the process. McNally picked up a nasty facial injury in the process as she managed to keep the ball out.
The pace was hectic throughout the tie. There was some tenacious defending from the Rossa’s just after the restart but they couldn’t prevent an opportunistic effort from McAleer but as her effort skittled around the square the impressive Aishling Logue drilled home past second half replacement keeper Lisa Mallaghan.
That goal put the Loch six up but Ardboe responded. A flurry of unanswered scores from Martin 0-2, Teague 0-2, Annie Devlin and Claire Muldoon over eighteen minutes saw them draw level. Annie Devlin who had a fine game for Ardboe had a goalbound effort well saved by Boyle while Mallaghan also made a brave stop at the other end.
As the game approached the closing minutes there was even more drama.
Ardboe looked to have done enough to get over the line only to be pegged back again. There was some great defending required from the Loch’s Edel Donaghey and Eimear Slane as Ardboe pressed.
Niamh Teague added another brace while Ally Martin finished a wonderful team goal to the net. In a move that began deep in defence the ball was worked through Rocks, Muldoon, Karen Quinn and Niamh Quinn.
Loughmacrory continued to compete bravely and scores from McAleer and Logue closed the gap to three before McAleer fired a close range free to the Rossa’s net with the last kick of normal time.
The first period of extra time produced an Adboe point from the youthful Teague and a third Loch goal. Lisa McAleer sent a penalty to the net after she herself was upended when bearing down on goal. Teague levelled things for an eighth time late in the second period while Mallaghan and Ardboe full back Ailish Devine were forced to clear their lines at the death as McAleer’s late effort came to nothing.
An entertaining draw with the prospect of a mouth watering. The question is will Thursday’s encounter have taken its toll on both teams?
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