Ella’s double helps Killala take scalp of league champs
Killala's Ella McLoughlin, left, scored both her side's goals in Sunday's triumph over Castlebar Town at Umbro Park.
Killala cared none for the reputation of Castlebar Town when they beat the current league champions in Sunday’s final of the Mayo U19 Girls Shield. The North Mayo outfit were the dominant side for most of the game, settling to their task so quickly that they had the ball in the back of the Town net inside four minutes – except the goal was disallowed.
Goalkeeper Casie Corrigan was under pressure in dealing with a corner-kick by Ella McLoughlin but when Isabel Trauttt poked home, a free-kick was awarded to Castlebar for an infringement.
Corrigan saved brilliantly from McLoughlin in the tenth minute and was breathing a sigh of relief on 22 minutes when Bethany Long driled just wide of the target.
Despite Castlebar growing more into the game, it was Killala who were creating the goal chances, with the corner-kicks by Anna McDonnell and Bethany Long causing panic in the box each and every time. And yet, for all their hard work, Killala has still failed to make the breakthrough by half-time.
The interval team-talk worked its wonder however, as the second-half was only five minutes old when Killala patiently worked the ball to striker Ella McLoughlin who ghosted by the Town defence and chipped beyond the reach of Corrigan and into the net.
A second goal from McLoughlin arrived just six minutes later to send Killala well on their way to victory, as she raced coolly rounded the goalkeeper. In fact, she was denied a hat-trick not long after when this time ‘keeper Corrigan produced an excellent save when faced one-on-one with the in-form attacker.
Castlebar, as would be expected of league champions, managed to gather themselves and were unlucky not to pull a goal back in the 67th minute when they found Killala goalkeeper Shauna Donnely equal to a well-hit Saoirse Mahon shot and then to a shot by Rebecca Moran, who was one of five Town players to have also played senior football with the club.
Moran went close again in the 74th minute when her stinging drive was gathered at the second attempt by Donnelly.
Killala relieved themselves of some of the pressure when forcing a couple of late chances of their own, one what saw McLoughlin almost complete her hat-trick with a shot that was deflected wide, while from the corner-kick the bal dropped to Aoibhinn Bilbow who blazed over.
Killala: S Donnelly, E Hannick, C Murphy, K Bilbow, M Heffernan, I Trautt, A McDonnell, A Bilbow, M Duffy, E McLoughlin, B Long. Subs used: K Gordon, D Forde, K Gildea.
Castlebar Town: C Corrigan, K Connor, C Loftus, C O’Malley, R Moran, A Keavney, S King, M Gaughan, S Bright, S Mahon, K Ludden. Sub used: R Rattigan.
REF: P Concannon.
