Harte of goals enough for Kilbride
Image 1 of 5
Kilbride NS’s Phoebe Howard breaks the tackle of St Anne’s Angela O’Leary and Holly Murphy during the Girls Div Shield final at Trim. Photo: Gerry Shanahan-www.cyberimages.net Gerry ShanahanImage 2 of 5
The Kilbride NS players (from left) were: back - Emma Kelly, Willow Fitzpatrick, Lucy Renehan, Blathnaid O’Shaughnessey, Emma Jane Hora, Rebecca Flavin, Rebecca Coleman, Catie Healy-Boyle, Lila O’Brien, Isabelle Lynam, Aurora Marini; front - Éabha Bond, Eve Kelly, Willow Harte, Ella Cottrell, Millie Beliankou, Kayla Flynn, Sophie Cosgrave, Saoirse Healy, Phoebe Howard, Andrea Mallee, Zoey Lynam. Photo: David Mullen-www.cyberimages.net David MullenImage 3 of 5
The St Anne’s players (from left) were: back - Hannah Rennicks, Emili Babic, Anna Dinnu, Meabh Reilly, Michelle Joby, Annie Sheils, Angela O’Leary, Wonuola Alacai, Zoe Meade, Merissa McEntaggart, Ruby Fennessy Tobin, Holly O’Dea; front - Síofra Donnelly, Lily Rose Grimes-Gavin, Zara Jones Cottrell, Amelia MacNamidh, Sarah Good, Zoey O’Leary Garry, Holly Murphy, Charlotte McEntaggart, Ava O’Mahony, Georgia Roche, Freya Doran,Ava Campbell, Hana Al-Hussein. David MullenImage 4 of 5
Kilbride NS captain Lila O’Brien receives the Girls Div Shield final from Frank Reidy. Gerry ShanahanImage 5 of 5
Kilbride’s Willow Harte receives the Spirit of the Final award from the Meath Chronicle’s Jimmy Geoghegan. Gerry ShanahanKilbride NS...............................6-6
St Anne’s NS............................3-0
Goals, goals, goals. They arrived with such a frequency in this Girls’ Div 2/3 Shield final that spectators at sunny Trim on Thursday could not take their eyes off the drama. Not for a second. If they did they were likely to miss something significant.
St Anne’s forward Zoey O’Leary Garry set the tone in the opening minute when she powered forward before sending the ball to the net.
However, the player who really struck goal-dust during this highly entertaining encounter was Kilbride NS’s Willow Harte who ended up with a remarkable, incredible 5-2. Yes five goals.
Her first strike helped to give Kilbride NS a 2-4 to 1-0 interval advantage with another of the team’s star performers, Emma Kelly, also finding the net in that opening half.
Then not once, or twice but FOUR times in the second-half Harte found a way to beat the St Anne’s defence and fire the ball to the net.
It was a phenomenal scoring rate that ensured there was only going to be one winner of this final. The unstoppable Harte even had time to convert two frees.
Yet it wasn’t all about the goals – or any individual. This was a super team display from Kilbride NS with Kayla Flynn, Catie Healy-Boyle, Kelly and Rebecca Coleman others who matched big performances with scores.
Millie Beliankou didn’t get on the scoresheet but she too was outstanding.
Another real goal-getter in this game was St Anne’s forward Garry. She got the opening goal with a great finish before adding two more in the second-half displaying great determination to do so. She also brought a super save from Kilbride ‘keeper Sophie Cosgrave.
Angela O’Leary, Merissa McEntaggart, Wonuola Alacai and Michelle Joby were others to sparkle for St Anne’s but there was no stopping Harte – or Kilbride.
Kilbride: Sophie Cosgrave; Isabelle Lynam, Aurora Marini; Saoirse Healy, Lila O’Brien, Kayla Flynn (0-1); Catie Healy-Boyle (0-2 one free), Emma Kelly (1-0); Rebecca Flavin, Millie Beliankou, Rebecca Coleman (0-1); Emma Jane Hora, Willow Harte (5-2 frees). Subs: Blathnaid O’Shaughnessy, Lucy Renehan, Willow Fitzpatrick, Phoebe Howard, Eve Kelly, Andrea Mallee, Zoey Lynam, Éabha Bond, Ella Cottrell. Mentors: Aoife O’Brien, Deirdre Murphy, Joanna O’Malley.
St Anne’s, NS Navan: Wonuola Alacai; Ruby Fennessy Tobin, Michelle Joby; Annie Shiels, Hannah Rennicks, Angela O’Leary; Merissa McEntaggart, Holly Murphy; Emili Babic, Zoey O’Leary Garry (3-0), Meadh Reilly; Amelia Mac Namidh, Charlotte McEntaggart. Subs: Sarah Good, Anna Dinnu, Ava O’Mahony, Zara Jones Cottrell, Síofra Donnelly, Freya Doran, Hana Al-Hussein, Lily Rose Grimes-Gavin; Holly O’Dea, Georgia Roche, Ava Campbell, Zoe Meade. Mentors: C Kelly, M Brennan, A Kavanagh, M Leavy.
Referee: Hannah Kealy (St Dymphna’s NS Kildalkey).
Check out more photos from the game by clicking here