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Suzuki
National League Division Two
Wexford 3-8 Down 2-6
The
Down Ladies National League campaign got
off to a losing start in Westmanstown on
Sunday with a five point loss to
Wexford. Playing on a very heavy pitch,
the teams were well matched throughout
with Wexford just finishing the stronger
side.
Down
had a lively start with a goal from
Downpatrick player Kyla Trainor after
good work from Michaela Downey. Further
scores from Lyndsey Cunningham (0-1) and
Aileen Pyers (0-1) produced a healthy
Down scoreline as the game hit the half
way point. Wexford came back into the
game though with a trio of frees from
corner forward Maeve Hughes. Several
frees were awarded on either side with
the heavy playing conditions making it
difficult to produce free flowing
football. Down also scored from the
free line with Grainne McClean pointing
from the ’14 and ’21. Wexford
midfielder, Caroline Murphy was
particularly influential in driving her
side to a strong first half finish,
scoring 1-1 in the latter stages. As
the teams headed for the dressing rooms,
the score read Wexford 1-6, Down, 1-4.
The
Mourne girls made the perfect start to
the second half. Michaela Downey hit
the back of the net after making a
strong drive from midfield. The goal
marked the start of a purple patch for
the county where Down dominated the
play, hitting two points from play, both
from Downey. They also had four wides
during this period, which also saw
influential Wexford midfielder Caroline
Murphy leave the field with an ankle
injury. While Down had taken the lead,
the game was far from over and Wexford
recovered from their slow second half
performance to secure two quick, albeit
messy goals from full forward Josie
Dwyer and the excellent Maeve Hughes.
Down were unable to come back from these
body blows and the game ended with a
five point deficit that perhaps didn’t
fully reflect the competitiveness of the
game. Final score, Wexford 3-8 Down
2-6.
Down
will have been disappointed with this
loss, in a game where they were very
much able to compete with their
opponents. The best performances for
Down came from Michaela Downey (1-2) in
the forward line, substitute Frances
O’Connor and senior half back debutant
Sinead Fegan from Newry Shamrocks. The
team also deserved credit given that a
new manager has yet to be secured for
2007. The five point loss didn’t
reflect the closeness of this game and
the young team will hope to improve on
their performance for the next League
fixture.
Down
Team
1
Emma Madine
2
Sinead Murphy
3
Kerrie O’Neill
4
Niamh Lennon
5
Eilish McConville (captain)
6
Bronagh McCurry
7
Sinead Fegan
8
Aine Keary
9
Cora McKibben
10
Grainne McClean
11
Michaela Downey
12
Maeve McConville
13
Kyla Trainor
14
Lyndsey Cunningham
15
Aileen Pyers
Subs
used:
Frances O’Connor
Sonya McGaw
Aveen McAvoy
Emma Mulhern
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