Barn’ storming display by Ballyvary girls
Division 2A Girls champions Ballyvary National School pictured after their win against Barnacarroll NS. Picture: Michael Donnelly
The better balanced team were crowned 2A Girls champions, as Ballyvary NS blasted home five goals on their way to victory over Barnacarroll NS on Wednesday. The five could easily have been ten or more were it not for an excellent display between the sticks by Barnacarroll goalkeeper Grace Phillips who in the first-half in particular had really helped to keep her team in the game.
The writing was on the wall however, when Ballyvary held a seven points lead at half-time having already played against the breeze.
Having to contend with horribly damp and windy conditions, the two teams had kicked eight wides between them while Grace Phillips had pushed a wicked goal attempt by Ella Staunton past the post by the time Ballyvary’s Katie Rava fired a rocket beyond Phillips for the game’s opening score in the seventh minute.
That one goal lead was doubled when Hannah Kelly tracked a long ball in and punched home five minutes later, but not before Staunton had again gone close herself, this time smashing a shot against the underside of the crossbar.
The latter eventually opened her account with a point and while a point from a free by Deirdre Gilmore finally got Barnacarroll off the mark, that was negated by Katie Rava whose own point from the placed ball saw Ballyvary hold a 2-2 to 0-1 half-time lead.
The leaders could be thankful their goalkeeper Aoife Corrigan had thwarted a goal effort by Sophia Pundzius on the stroke of half-time so it was a double whammy for Barnacarroll when they conceded a third goal just four minutes into the second-half, with Juliette Devaney in the right place to finish for Ballyvary after Ella Staunton’s point attempt had dropped back into play off the upright.
Deirdre Gilmore, three, and Sophia Pundzius, four, scored all their side’s second-half points, but it was goals that Barnacarroll required yet Ally McGovern was denied by a fine defensive block while Pundzius had a shot superbly tipped over by Corrigan.
In contrast, Juliette Devaney bagged her second goal and Ella Staunton hit the net also, powering through the middle and unleashing a ferocious shot into the top left corner.
Grace Phillips produced excellent saves to deny Katie Rava, twice, and Hannah Kelly from raising further green flags, however, second-half points by Neasa Page, two, Erin Carney, Kelly and Rava, eased the Ballyvary girls to a comfortable win sixteen points win.
Ballyvary NS: Aoife Corrigan, Éabha Doherty, Kelly McGrath, Erin Carney (0-1), Katie Rava (1-3, 0-1f), Hannah Kelly (1-2), Ella Staunton (1-1), Juliette Devaney (2-0), Neasa Page (0-2), Sophia McGreal, Isabel Guthrie, Olivia Kearns, Luci Lawless, Katie McHale, Ally Doherty, Emily Connor, Ciara Cosgrove, Faye Reilly, Leah Doherty, Ellie Conlon, Ailbhe Kennedy.
Barnacarroll NS: Grace Phillips, Deirdre Gilmore (0-4, 3f), Elena Crowley, Mollie McGrath, Anna Santos, Saoirse Ruddy, Emma McCabe, Ally McGovern, Sophie Clarke, Sophia Clarke, Sophia Pundzius (0-4), Melanie Doyle, Avery Charles, Erienne McHugh, Kate Conboy, Michaelle Luiza, Aoibheann Ruddy, Dayna Cooney, Miah McGrath.
REF: Mel Kenny
