On Sunday morning in Bray Emmets, six teams took the pitch hoping to qualify for the Leinster regional final.
Éire Óg and Bray Emmets were both drawn into the same group. The hosts won their first match after making a miraculous recovery from not scoring in the first half, while afterwards both sides beat St. Nicholas.
Éire Óg beat Group 2 winners Kilcoole in the semi-final while Bray Emmets got the better of Rathnew to confirm a final showdown with their neighbours.
Éire Óg Greystones started the match by pinning Bray well back defensively as they searched for the first score.
A couple of wides ensued, however. Any chance of Bray breaking down the pitch was well thwarted by a stubborn half-back line that were quick to get the ball forward to keep the Emmets defence under-pressure.
With 10 minutes almost gone of what would be a 15-minute half, the deadlock was finally broken as Lucy O’Leary slotted over the Bray Emmets crossbar from a free.
The pattern of Éire Óg Greystones dominance continued, and it led to O’Leary getting her second point of the match and the match’s first point from play in what was a brilliant finish from a tricky angle.
With the half-time whistle about to come, Bray Emmets may have felt they weathered the storm quite well having only conceded two points, however that positive thought faded after Ailbhe Davis jinked passed would be tacklers to finish to the net giving Éire Óg Greystones a five-point lead at half-time, 1-2 to no score.
The second half started with Éire Óg Greystones back on the attack, but they were turned over swiftly and Bray Emmets broke up the pitch. The ball came to the hands of Iseult Bell who shot high and over the bar for Bray’s first score of the match.
Moments later Bray thought they had clawed the deficit back to one-point with a goal from Iseult, but referee Eddie Leonard deemed the centre-forward to have fouled Greystones keeper Nimah O’Neill after she had gathered from a low ball across the box.
Moya Andrews would restore Éire Óg’s five-point lead with a strong shot over the bar out on the 21.
Annie Rafferty cancelled that last score out next with a well taken free as Bray began to dominate the attacking play.
O’Neill was called into action to save from a Sadie Croke shot but at this moment you felt an Emmets goal was coming.
Croke finally beat O’Neill only moments later after she gathered the ball well in the box and fired through a crowd of bodies to bring the deficit back to 1 point.
For the last two minutes the Éire Óg defence were working tirelessly to not concede an equaliser and this was typified most by their centre-back, Siofra O’Farrell, who cut out so many long balls from the Emmets midfield trying to link up to attack.
The defensive stubbornness eventually paid off as Éire Óg ran out winners on a scoreline of 1-3 to 1-2.
Éire Óg Greystones Squad: Moya Andrews (0-1), Maja Bochenek, Alannah Byrne, Sorcha Byrne, Ella Cheetham, Kate Coleman, Ailbhe Davis (1-0), Holly Earls, Brianna Gallagher-Kilbane, Emily Hanley, Niamh Holohan, Keela Lawless-Rebelo, Bárbara Lete-Duff, Moya Marinan, Orianna McGuigan, Kate Meyler, Teagan Mullally, Siofra O’Farrell, Lucy O’Leary (0-2, 1f), Kitty O’Briene, Grace O’Neill, Niamh O’Neill, Hannah O’Carroll, Áine Ryan, Siofra Scanlon, Poppy Smith, Thea Sterritt, Sophie Wade, Kate Walker, Sorcha Walker, Ciara Kenny.
Bray Emmets: Sophie Murray, Alannah McCarthy, Christina O’Sullivan, Lauren Kennedy, Emily Fitzpatrick, Louise McHugh, Olivia Duncan, Ciara Curran, Micah Sammon, Nessa Ni Chonchubhair, Iseult Bell (0-1), Roisin Hayes, Belle Dominican-Byrne, Annie Rafferty (0-1, 1f), Sadie Croke (1-0), Elizabeth, Sophie McNaughton, Aine O’Brien, Katie, Realtin O’Neill, Isabelle Doyle, Beibhin McGuiness.
Referee: Eddie Leonard (St. Patricks)
