Six Meath schools advance to North Leinster finals
PRIMARY SCHOOLS 5s SOCCER
The Meath finals of the FAI Primary 5s took place last week on the all-weather pitches at the MDL Grounds in Navan and after an initial entry of 260 school teams, six teams now advance to the North Leinster finals on 1st May, writes Paul Holland.
The boys from Boyerstown, Kentstown and St Declan’s Ashbourne have reached the next stage of the nationwide competition while the girls from Drumconrath, Gaelscoil na Bóinne (Trim) and St Paul’s Ratoath have also advanced to play their counterparts from Louth, Westmeath and Longford.
The winners from the North Leinster finals on 1st May will progresses to the Leinster finals at the MDL on 15th May and all the way to the National finals at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on 29th May.
BOYS
Boyerstown’s fantastic record in the FAI Primary 5s competition continued again as their boys were convincing winners of the small schools section.
In 2015 Cathal O’ Bric’s boys reached the National finals at the Aviva Stadium, where they finished fourth, while the girls of 2018 finished as runners-p, also at the Aviva.
Boyerstown were convincing winners in each of their three games as they defeated Kill NS (Rathmoylon) by 6-0, Kilmainhamwood by 6-3 and Kiltale by 6-0.
The victories were built on the impressive displays from the spine of the team with top scorers Alex Brady and Morgan Martin as defensive and offensive midfield players and Billy Rogers a rock in defence.
Aaron McKenna covering serious ground up front and the calm assured cover of Pelayo Rogers Suarez in goals was inspirational throughout. The boys had great support from the bench with Darragh O Toole in defence, Liam Molloy in midfield and Cian Prunty as striker.
Kentstown NS captured the Meath title in the medium sized schools section and were solid and consistent throughout with wins over Coole NS (4-1), Kildalkey (3-0) and Bohermeen by 3-1.
Goalkeeper Jay Lynagh was in inspired form for Sean McKiernan’s side, while captain Eoghan Hosie excelled in defence. Midfielder Austin Barry was a tower of strength throughout. The skilful Oisín Melia scored some vital goals while up front Mossie Gillic was a constant threat. Subs Darragh McCoy, Eoin Carolan and Tom Hickey each played their part when rotated.
Successive wins for Bohermeen NS boys over Kildalkey NS and Coole NS set up a winner take all final game with Kentstown NS.
Darragh Hilliard was imperious in goals throughout and his distribution was top notch. Captain Josh Rennicks anchored the defence alongside Eoin Mangan with both also getting forward to great effect. Darragh Monaghan and striker Liam Fallon linked well throughout.Kevin Reilly made hard runs all day with the silky Kylan O’Reilly dovetailing with the industrious Finn Reilly.
St Declan’s Ashbourne A team, managed by Gary McKeown, topped their group ahead of St Paul’s Ratoath, Duleek and Spioraid Naoimh (Laytown).
St Declan’s managed to win all their matches with Patrick Toth and Ashton Dillon commanding in defence. Cian Doran up front managed to convert most of St Declan’s chances and managed nine goals on the day. James O'Donoghue and Liam O'Connell showed great skill and hard work in mid-field.
St Declan’s A then met their friends and classmates in the final as both St Declan’s teams played against each other. Everyone enjoyed the final and it was played in great spirits with the first team coming out on top in the end.
St Declan’s B got off to a winning start in their group with a 1-0 win over Ratoath. Two hard fought games against Cannistown and St Oliver’s saw them secure three wins from three and top of the group knowing a draw would see them qualify for the final. After going 0-1 down the team rallied and got a late equaliser against Kells to see the game finish 1-1. After a very spirited performance they fell at the final hurdle against their school mates in the final.
A great performance from Luke Lumley in goal saw him only concede two goals throughout the group stage. Callum McPartland and Maximo Martinez contributed with some big goals. Solid performances from Charlie McConnell and Cullen Lawlor at the back helped the team to reach the final before falling just short.
GIRLS
Drumconrath NS were crowned Meath champions for the second year in succession with impressive wins over Kilbeg, Heronstown and Killyon.
Ava Hickey, who was the team's top scorer in last year's successful campaign, showed her talent again by scoring an amazing 28 goals across the 10 games.
Captain Sophie Tighe showed her versatility by playing in goals, defence and midfield, and also got on the scoresheet. Moira O'Connor was solid in defence. Greta Skackaite was very influential at midfield. The skillful Niamh McCluskey and Marianne McMahon proved a handful for the opposition and they both scored important goals. Ella Flanagan and Brighid McGowan showed great determination.
Gaelscoil na Bóinne (Trim) won the Girls Section B title for the first time in the school’s history. The day started off with a hard fought 3-2 victory over last year's champions Bohermeen. After falling behind early on, two goals from Síofra Ní Thoirealaigh put the Trim girls 2-1 up at half time. Aoife Ní Riabhaigh added a third before Bohermeen pulled one back but Gaelscoil na Bóinne held on for what proved to be the decisive game of the day
A 2-0 victory followed against Kentstown with Isabelle Nic Íomhair proving to be the match winner and goalkeeper Shona Nic Gafraigh saving a vital penalty in the second half. A 3-0 loss to Yellow Furze in the final game was not enough to take the title away as Gaelscoil na Bóinne won the group on head to head results against Bohermeen.
Superb defending from Ella Ní Scannláin and great determination from Tara Ní Riain were crucial for the Trim school while Caoimhe Ní Fhearail and Clíona Ní Chuaigh showed great attacking flair up front.
Bohermeen NS girls gave their all and came up agonisingly short on Meath finals day. Captained by Hollie-Rose McDonnell and Eva Casserly, the first game proved the decisive one as a narrow 3-2 loss meant Gaelscoil na Boinne went through.
Successive 4-2 wins over Yellow Furze and Kentstown brought the group down to the wire and were built on the solid defence of Kayla Coyne and Lily Reilly, with goalkeeper Ella Weldon excellent throughout. Up front McDonnell and Casserly were a serious threat with great impacts being made by Aimee Hegarty, Nadine Carroll and Abbie Fitzgerald.
The St Paul’s Ratoath Girls became the first soccer team from the school to win the Meath FAI Primary 5s. Maya Moran in goals made some fantastic saves across the games to keep opposing strikers at bay. Hollie Muller and Emma Mulvaney were both excellent at the back, proving very tough to break down. Lucy Comiskey, Hannah Reynolds, and Cáit McElroy provided great energy in midfield and worked tirelessly in all the games to help the team secure the wins they needed.
Lauren Richardson and team captain Katie O’Brien gave the Ratoath side great firepower up front, scoring plenty of vital goals, which proved all important in sealing the title of Meath champions.
St Stephen's NS, captained by Lily B, won two out of the three games. Lily B and Lily H dominated midfield impressively, scoring nine goals between them on the day. Lauren C and Izzy worked hard around the middle too. Daniele was solid in defence for every game. Sanita and Ella were also well organised . Lauren M was reliable as always in goal, stopping serious shots and keeping a clean sheet for the last game.