St. Colm's finish strongly to win the Sciath Aoife title

St Colm’s Draperstown 4-04 .... St Louise’s Belfast 3-01

A goal and two points in the final five minutes of this very competitive Sciath Aoife final in Tír na nÓg Randalstown on Friday got St Colm’s Draperstown over the line in a competition they lost narrowly to Coláiste Feirste in Cargin this time last year.

Indeed they could well have lost this final as well because of their wayward shooting that accumulated a total of 17 wides over the game, nine of those coming before they opened their scoring five minutes from half time.

St Louise’s, appearing in their first ever decider, were much more economical in possession in the first half. They took the lead against the run of play with a goal from Darceigh McParland in the 5th minute and then pulled ten points clear midway through the opening half. Sophie Skelly added a point and then a goal, both from 45s, before McParland displayed a poacher’s instinct to nab her second goal after 14 minutes.

For St Colm’s it was a matter of frustration. They probably dominated the game in terms of possession, but those wides seemed to eat into their confidence. Eventually they managed their first score when Tammy McSorley kicked the sliotar to the net.

Their best player right through was goal-keeper Niamh McDaid who, despite being beaten three times in the first 14 minutes, denied St Louise’s on several occasions to keep her team in the game. McDaid’s intervention just before the break however gave her side the platform to strike for victory in the second half.

She saved brilliantly and then picked out Aoibheann O’Hagan with her lengthy clearance. The midfielder went on a long solo run and her crisp strike from the right wing ended up in the Belfast side’s net. That left the teams changing ends with just a goal between them at 3-1 to 2-1.

O’Hagan added a point from distance on the re-start and then Brianna Toner’s goal after seven minutes edged the Derry team into the lead for the first time. But they couldn’t nail the scores to be sure of victory as St Louise’s defence hung on and Anna Lean, Abbie Lennon and Sophie Smyth relieved the pressure time and again.

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However the Belfast side couldn’t get past McDaid, the goalie even moving outfield in an attempt to point frees. And for the first time in the game, their shooting became erratic. For 20 minutes the gap remained at a single point until Lucy McWilliams pointed with three minutes left.

Niamh McDaid added another point from a long-range free and then, with just a minute left on the clock, McWilliams latched on to a through ball from Lily O’Connor and sealed the result in St Colm’s favour with the team’s fourth goal.

St Colm’s: Niamh McDaid 0-1 free, Sarah McCann, Katie Marie McDaid, Alise Rocks, Anna McElhatton, Fionnuala Murray, Aoibheann O’Hagan 1-2, 0-1 free, Clíodhna McNicholl, Lucy McWilliams1-1, Lily O’Connor, Niamh McNamee, Tammy McSorley 1-0, Brianna Toner 1-0, Katie Boyd, Hannah Martin

St Louise’s: Sabina Close, Siana Ward, Anna Lean, Sophie Smyth, Sorcha Fitzsimmons, Abbie Lennon, Sophia Reid, Orlaith McShane, Sophie Skelly 1-1 frees, Cleena Conlon, Darceigh McParland 2-0, Autumn Courtney, Amelia Fryers, Evie Magee-McKenna, Corrina Hamill

Referee: V Boyle (Dunloy)