So Fresh Entertainment Womens Cup (Quarter Finals)
Monasterevin AFC 4 Clane United FC 2
Both teams came into this cup game boasting a great opening half to their campaigns. Both teams up in the top 3 of the division. The opening exchanges were very nervy with both teams not wanting to commit too much forward in fear of the counter attack.
The back line of Monasterevin, consisting of Alice Breen in goals and Máirín Kirby, Bernie Hyland, Annemarie Graham and Eleanor Scully in defence were commanding in their defensive positions and not letting anything happen in their defensive third.
Midfield was where the battle was and Monasterevin’s Abby Kemmy, Jenny Conroy, Brianne Kaye and Louise Scully knew they had their work cut out for them with the string midfield of Clane.
The home side had the Broughan sisters Julia and Rebecca chasing down their defence for any loose balls. Credit to Clane their centre back was quick to anything Monasterevin tried in opening 24 minutes.
On the 25th minute however Monasterevin’s Louise Scully carved open a bit of space on the right and blasted low into the corner from a slight angle to put the home side in the lead. That lead lasted only two minutes when a shot which the ever commanding Alice Breen seemed to misjudge, made its way in off her hand to draw the sides level.
Both sides continued to battle for supremacy, but no real chances were carved out with both sides not getting into dangerous areas.
The home side can count themselves unlucky to have not one but two penalty shouts waved away.
Clane took the lead on the thirty ninth minute when a back pass to Alice Breen wasn’t controlled and allowed their striker in to tap into an empty net. A lead which clane retained to the break.
Eight minutes after the restart the Clane winger got in behind after an uncharacteristic slip up by Bernie Hyland but dragged her shot just wide of the post. Bernie let our a battle cry and Monasterevin upped their game from that point on and started to cause problems for the visitors backline. On the hour mark Monasterevin’s Eleanor Scully saw her free kick saved well by the visiting keeper low to her right.
Monasterevin got the deserved equaliser on the sixty fifth minute when tricky feet by Louise Scully saw her take the ball by three Clane players and smashed her shot into the top of the net. With Louise’s pace causing havoc the number five of Clane was matching her stride for stride in a great defender v striker battle. On the seventy sixth minute Monasterevin got the all important third goal when Abby Kemmy made a great run and a nice ball in to her was blasted to top of the net.
Clane to their credit didn’t throw the towel in and put pressure on Monasterevin defence, but the home side held firm. Fresh legs of Shauna Preston and Melissa Scully were needed to keep the pressure on the Clane defence and this proved vital when on eighty fourth minute Melissa closed down and intercepted the ball and played a lovely ball in front of Louise Scully who ran on, got around the keeper and tapped home to grab her hattrick and assure Monasterevin of a place in the semi final of the cup. Clane did have one last chance when a corner floated in was inadvertently turned towards her own goal by Eleanor Scully but Alice Breen brilliantly got down to save. Monasterevin had top performances in Bernie Hyland, Annemarie Graham and player of the match and hattrick hero Louise Scully.