Liatroim Fontenoys Cup final
St Pius X, Magherafelt 2-14 St Patrick’s, Keady 2-3
ST Pius X, Magherafelt took revenge for defeat in the first round of group games eight weeks ago by pushing through after the break in Naomh Colum Cille Clochóg yesterday to win the Liatroim Fontenoys Cup for the fifth time.
Keady, however, were first to strike gold with an early goal from Annie McGeown and points from Ella Toal and Sorcha McKinney.
However, the south Derry school gradually worked their way back into the game with three points from Hannah Downey, Ailise Musgrave and Kerri-Lee Mullan before a free from McKinney went over the top and Caoimhe Gallogly raced on to sweep the lose ball to the net.
It proved only a small setback for the eventual winners as Cara Bennett and player-of-the-match Áine Young tightened up at the back to hold Keady scoreless from that Gallogly goal after 15 minutes until McGeown fired over a consolidation point in injury-time at the very end.
Downey tagged on a couple of frees before Aoife Doyle goaled in the 23rd minute to level the scores, 1-5 to 2-2. Eva Mulholland was the only scorer over the last few minutes of the first half as St Pius X edged ahead.
Downey’s accuracy from frees pushed the boat out on Keady during the third quarter, while the Armagh girls, for all their industry around half-back and midfield, couldn’t unlock the Magherafelt defence.
Downey’s long-range free in the 52nd minute made it 1-12 to 2-2 and a minute later she floated another long-range effort all the way to the Keady net. The Bellaghy forward eventually brought her tally for the day up to 1-9 with two more frees.
The final scoreline doesn’t really reflect the Keady performance nor the intensity of exchanges, but St Pius X will laud their defence and goalie Grace Darragh as they prepare for an All-Ireland semi-final at the end of January.
Scorers
St Pius H Downey 1-9 (1-8f); A Doyle 1-0; E Mulholland 0-2; A Musgrave, R Conlon & K-L Mullan 0-1 each
St Patrick’s A McGeown 1-1; C Gallogly 1-0; S McKinney & E Toal 0-1 each
