Deadly Doherty leads the charge for magic Mayo
Mayo captain Meabh Callinan setting up an attack in her side's comprehensive win over Sligo.
Mayo will take a 100% record from the group stages into the Connacht minor football final after they ruthlessly punished an error-strewn Sligo performance last Wednesday evening.
Brian McLoughlin’s side had already guaranteed their spot in the final after beating Galway the week before but any thought that Mayo would take their foot off the gas was quashed by half-time here, with the game all but over as Mayo led 4-3 to 0-2.
Sligo had not registered a score at all until the beginning of the second quarter and the Black and White, already shell-shocked, conceded another 1-1 in the first two minutes of the second-half. To their credit, they responded well and steadied the ship somewhat, but Mayo were always in control of the contest. The hosts finished with a late flurry of points and this latest victory has seen them win all four of their group games by a combined 57 points.
Without doubt, the star of the show was Kayla Doherty. The MacHale Rovers forward, who played a starring role in her club’s intermediate county title last year, struck 3-5 and kicked the first of her points inside the opening 20 seconds.
Sligo could not breach the Mayo defence and tigerish work by the likes of Isobel Phillips and Riona Jordan saw them forced into mistakes. Mayo were unfortunate not to find the net on 10 minutes when a long ball kicked in found Christina MacEvilly. She beat Sligo goalkeeper Catherine Gallagher to the ball but her palmed effort when inches wide.
MacEvilly would make no mistake second time around four minutes later. After a great run by Doherty, her point attempt ended up in the hands of MacEvilly whose first shot was pushed onto the post but landed back with the Westport attacker and she converted the rebound.
Keeva Flynn ended Sligo’s long wait for a score on 16 minutes. Doherty and Cara King exchanged great points before Mayo scored their second goal and it was one to remember. Siomha McNulty found Doherty and from out 20 metres shet hit a thunderous shot past Catherine Gallagher.
Seconds later, Sligo conceded a third when a poor kickout by Catherine Gallagher was intercepted by Mayo captain Meabh Callinan. She spotted the run of Doherty and played her in to finish past the ‘keeper.
It was all going wrong for Sligo and luck was certainly not on their side as after Kayla Doherty’s point attempt on 28 minutes came back off the post, the ball dropped into MacEvilly’s hands outside the square for a simple finish into the net, which was followed by a point by Claremorris star Bree Hession.
Gallagher gave away a penalty a minute into the second-half after fouling Mayo substitute Larissa Kelly and Doherty sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to complete her hat-trick, and followed that goal up with a free.
Sligo kept plugging away and scored a consolation goal through Rachel McGoldrick but it would be met by five points on the spin by Mayo through Sarah Carney, two, Kayla Doherty, two, and Muireann Nolan, to cap a Mayo performance that matched the glorious weather in Swinford.
The Green and Red will learn their final opponents tomorrow (Wednesday) evening. Sligo can qualify should they avoid defeat against Roscommon but whoever their opponents will be on May 18, Mayo will undoubtedly be going in as red-hot favourites.
Scorers – Mayo: Kayla Doherty 3-5 (1-0p, 0-1f), Christina Doherty 2-0, Sarah Carney 0-2, Bree Hession and Muireann Nolan 0-1 each.
Sligo: Rachel McGoldrick 1-0, Keeva Flynn and Cara King 0-1 each.
Mayo: Charlie Reilly Benson; Isobel Phillips, Riona Jordan, Alannah McDonnell; Shauna Heneghan, Siomha McNulty, Kate Brennan; Sarah Carney, Suzanne Tuohy; Amy Cummins, Kayla Doherty, Meabh Callinan; Lauren Crawford, Bree Hession, Christina McEvilly. Subs: Larissa Kelly, Muireann Nolan and Caoilfhionn Tighe (for Callinan, Crawford and A McDonnell ht), Sarah Courell (for McEvilly 45), Grace McDonnell (for Cummins 51), Sinead O’Neill (for Phillips 55), Saoirse Byrne (for Hession 57), Beth Roache (for Carney 60).
Sligo: Catherine Gallagher; Aoibheann Durcan, Leanna Galvin, Hazel Redican; Eimer Mitchell, Cara King, Jade Gabbidon; Jasmine Dunleavy, Ciara Walsh; Anna McDaniel, Rachel McGoldrick, Blaithin Lavin; Jillian Monaghan, Keeva Flynn, Ellen Giblin. Subs: Caoimhe Morgan, Saoirse Corcoran and Tara Hastings (for Redican, Monaghan and Mitchell ht), Gemma O’Callaghan (for Gabbidon 41), Kayleigh Walsh and Grainne Smith (for McDaniel and McGoldrick 48), Aimee Keane and Molly McLoughlin (for King and Giblin 52).
REF: Gerry Carmody (Roscommon)
