Ready for kick-off in the new league last Monday night.PHOTO GERRY SHANAHAN / WWW.QUIRKE.IE

Adult Women's Soccer League returns for first time since 2014

Published: Thu 7 Nov 2019, 7:00 AM

Adult women’s soccer returned to on Monday night with first round action in the NEFL Senior Women’s League at the MD where Torro negotiated Park Celtic Summerhill in a 6-0 victory.

This eight-team league, which is being operated by the North East Football League is a developmental league in advance of a competition that will start in March 2020 as adult action returns following a gap of some five years since the last officially-sanctioned competition.

Facing an experienced Park Celtic Summerhill side Torro hit the ground running, but needed to show plenty of defensive fortitude before Caoimhe McKenna opened the scoring after 18 minutes, executing a fine finish after a sweeping move.

PARK CELTIC SUMMERHILL

With the cushion of that lead goal Torro dominated the next 10 or 15 minutes and added a second goal in the 35th minute from Amy Timmons to take a 2-0 lead at the interval.

Looking to give his 18-player squad game time Torro manager Joel Patino rang the changes and with Laura Mathews pushed into a more attacking role the Kilberry side became an even bigger threat.

Matthews added to Torro’s tally soon after the resumption and with Park Celtic pushing forward to try to get back into the game they were hit on the break with McKenna adding her second to make it 4-0 four minutes later.

TORRO UTD

Another assist from Shelly Sargent, her third of the game, gifted Aoife McCluskey with Torro’s fifth goal.

However, Park Celtic Summerhill continued to test the Torro rearguard with some impressive counter-attacking play.

Mathews added her second goal and closed the scoring as Torro got their new season off to a winning start.

Torro Utd - Yvonne Brady, Rachel Walsh, Cathriona Butler, Aisling Rooney, Amy English, Jennifer Byrne, Laura Mathews, Lisa Clarke, Amy Timmons, Caoimhe McKenna, Aoife McCluskey, Avril McKenna, Shona McLoughlin, Milita Walsh, Ann Marie King, Shelly Sargent, Michelle Timmons, Amanda Murtagh.

Park Celtic Summerhill - Aoibheann Corcoran; Robyn Burke, Faye Mulreid, Leah Byrne, Ruth Taggart, Saoirse Corcoran, Rebecca Kelly, Grace Nagle, Keely Burke, Rebecca Quinn, Ciara Thornton.

*Initially the North East Women’s Football League (NEWFL) was scheduled to kick-off in March 2019. The last competitive adult league was played in 2014.
Since then efforts by local enthusiasts had failed to get the green light from the FAI.