Louth U18 girls begin Leinster campaign with an emphatic victory ...
Louth were lethally efficient when winning Saturday afternoon’s Leinster U18 C championship opener against Kilkenny by 39 points on the Darver astro.
Martin Rice’s side played with the stiff gust at their backs in the first half and had built an insurmountable advantage by the break, ahead by 3-12 to no-score.
They held the visitors pointless until seven minutes into the second period, when Grace Buggy split the posts, but Louth, who are fancied to travel far in the third tier grade this season, were ruthless.
Mischa Rooney was a class apart in the attack, scoring 3-2 and contributing to a myriad of other registers, but in a complete team performance, the Hunterstown Rovers star was ably assisted by the supremely accurate Grace Stafford, rampant midfielder Lucy Sheridan, industrious left-half Meabh Butterly and dominant full-back Vanessa Brennan.
The Noresiders actually launched the first two attacks of the affair but Louth were swiftly into the ascendency as Lucy White, Rooney, Stafford and Maggie Holland, who operated in a more withdrawn role, all cleared the crossbar with shots that could easily have been goals.
Five was the gap when the major breakthrough did materialise and it was the score of the game. Sheridan and White twice exchanged possession while moving at top speed from inside their own half and then Stafford was involved before the ball was eventually worked to Rooney whose finish was emphatic.
Stafford struck five points from play before the change of ends and three of those, plus a brace by Sheridan, stretched the lead to 12 by the time Rooney gathered a low pass one-handed, swivelled like a basketballer and fired past Ellie Moran for a three-pointer.
Centre-forward Zara Sweeney was more apparent as the contest progressed and she scored twice on both sides of the interval, finishing with 1-3 and bagging the Wee county’s third goal of the first half.
Rooney rifled the ball to the top corner moments after the restart, prior to Buggy getting Kilkenny off the mark. Aoibhe Ryan was the Cats’ most impressive player – while Ruby Roche showed glimpses of her talent with one surging run – and she got the point her graft deserved from quite a distance around the three-quarter stage.
But Louth, who used all 15 substitutes, were giving opportunities to others keen to impress and among the influential reserves were Amy Murray (0-1), Chloe McCarragher (2-1), Ciara Boyle (1-0) and Kayleigh Goss (0-1).
With matches against Offaly (March 23) and Carlow (March 30) to come, the Reds will anticipate tougher tests before the month is out.
LOUTH: Molly Savage; Maya Corrigan 0-1, Vanessa Brennan, Áine Murray; Danielle Brennan, Katie Mulligan, Meabh Butterly; Lucy Sheridan 0-3, Leah Cunningham; Brigh McEnteggart, Zara Sweeney 1-3, Lucy White 0-2; Grace Stafford 0-5, Mischa Rooney 3-2, Maggie Holland 0-1. Subs: Amy Murray 0-1 for D Brennan (9), Niamh Lenoard for Áine Murray (27), Kayla Clarke for Cunningham (HT) Chloe McCarragher 2-1 for McEnteggart (HT), Kayleigh Goss 0-1 for Sweeney (35), Ciara Boyle 1-0 for Stafford (39), Ciara Dunne for V Brennan (44), Sophie Everitt for Rooney (47), Cliodhna Russell for White (50), Rebecca Baldwin for Sheridan (52), Myah McCabe for Corrigan (53), Hannah McArdle for Murray (55), Naoise McGeeney for Holland (56), Saidbh Morgan for Butterly (59), Alice Kearns for Savage (59).
KILKENNY: Ellie Moran; Alessandra Audoire, Katie Scriven, Aoife Royce-Brennan; Sineád Carroll, Sarah Dunne, Marie Farrell; Breeanna Beirne, Ruby Roche; Eva Lavelle, Aoibhe Ryan 0-1, Grace Buggy 0-1; Aurella Finucane, Millie Gilsenan, Maireád Mullally. Subs: Blaithnaid Mullins, Aimee O’Lone, Emma O’Shea, Aoife Maher, Sarah Webster, Ava O’Leary, Kyla Byrne, Pia Goff, Caoimhe Kelly, Sal Ryan.
REFEREE: Paul Meaney (Dublin).
