Ulster LGFA Senior Championship semi-final
Moneyglass 1-13 (Antrim) St McCartan’s (Tyrone) 2-7
An almost perfect performance by Moneyglass full forward Orlaith Prenter steered her side to an Ulster final meeting with legendry Monaghan Champions Donaghmoyne, after Sunday’s semi-final win over Tyrone champions St McCartan’s at Ahoghill.
The St Ergnat’s number 14 was in sensational form as she scored all of her team’s total of 1-13, 1-6 of it from play, as they became the first Antrim team to reach and Ulster Senior Club final. After playing against a stiff wind in the first half Moneyglass looked like they would kick on in the second, but the Tyrone champions showed their great battling qualities during the third quarter and were right there in the game until the last few minutes when points from Prenter in the 27th, 29th, 31st and 33rd minutes took the game away from them. The Tyrone champions to the bitter end, despite having five players sin binned in the second half, three of them at the one time, but Moneyglass (who also had two players sin binned) were not to be denied and with Prenter leading the line throughout they secured a place in the final in two weeks’ time.
In my introduction I said Prenter was almost perfect, but even that would be harsh, for she scored from fourteen of the fifteen shots she hit, her only miss coming from a very difficult free from a tight angle on the right which just slipped across the goal and wide at the far post.
The Antrim champions, who were playing in their first semi-final, went into the game as outsiders, despite last week’s win over Bredagh, but they were first on the board when Prenter sent over a free on three minutes. McCartan’s showed just what they were capable of when they hit back immediately and a great attack through the centre of the Antrim defence saw Cathy Maguire fire home the first goal of the game. Maguire added a point in the seventh minute and you began to wonder if the Tyrone girls may have too much know-how for Moneyglass, but Prenter lifted spirits again with a fantastic point from out on the right wing, which defied the breeze and slotted between the posts.
Two excellent points from St McCartan’s midfielder Coleen McQuaid, one from a free and the other from play put her team four ahead, and though Prenter again split the posts at the other end, the Tyrone champions appeared to be in the driving seat when another direct move through the middle put right half back Slaine McCarroll through on goal, and she wrong footed Moneyglass keeper Anna McCann with a deft left foot finish.
The magnitude of the Moneyglass challenge then became apparent, but they reacted brilliantly and with Aofie Kelly, Maria O’Neill, Cliona Griffin and Kathy Carey making driving runs through the visitors’ defence the opportunities began to come. Points from Prenter in the 23rd and 26th minutes had the gap down to two, but the real game changer came on 27 minutes when Carey put Prenter clear on the left and she blasted a left footed shot to the McCartan’s net. Two minutes later they were level when Prenter again found the target from play, though the Tyrone champions got their noses in front just before the interval with another fine score from Colleen McQuaid.
The second half started slowly and there was five minutes on the clock before Prenter brought Moneyglass back on terms. However it would be another ten minutes before Prenter struck again, with a point, and in the meantime Cathy Maguire had put the visitors back in front. As the game entered the final quarter it was clear tiredness was creeping in and suddenly the yellow cards, which heralded ten minutes in the sin bin for the recipient, started to appear.
Moneyglass centre back Rebecca Bradley was the first to fall foul of match referee Gavin Finnegan, but six others were to follow during the last quarter, five of them from the Tyrone champions. There was a real tension in the ground McQuaid put McCartan’s back in front, and despite having a numerical advantage Moneyglass where struggling to get back on terms, but Prenter eased those worries with a late barrage of scores to secure the win, and write and another chapter in the Moneyglass history book.
In two week time they will take on the reigning champions Donaghmoyne of Monaghan, who are going for their fourth title in a row, and their fourteenth in all. A formidable task for any team, but Moneyglass manager Mickey O’Kane and his backroom team will worry about that another day. In the mean time they will enjoy a very special win and a very special performance from their full forward.
MONEYGLASS
Anna McCann, Saoirse McErlain, Emma Louise McAreavey, Niamh Neeson, Niamh McIntosh, Rebecca Bradley, Sarah O’Neill, Aoife Kelly, Laura McCann, Cliona Griffin, Cathy Carey, Maira O’Neill, Aine Devlin, Orlaith Prenter, Bronagh Devlin.
McCARTAN’S
Aoife McNellis, Elisia Treanor, Cadhla McCarroll, Maria mcCann, Slaine McCarroll, Marie Treanor, Niamh McGirr, Tara-Meabh McCarroll, Colleen McQuaid Paula Donnelly, Graine McKenna, Shannon McQuaid, Michaea Woods, Cathy Maguire, Maura McMenamin
