Five goals give St Loman’s victory over gutsy Garrycastle
St Loman's Mullingar 5-9, Garrycastle 4-5
By Eamon A. Donoghue
A slicker, sharper, smarter St Loman’s Mullingar beat Garrycastle in the Westmeath senior ladies football championship at Garrycastle last Thursday evening.
Although Garrycastle stayed with St Loman’s on the scoreboard and kept the game interesting right up to the final whistle, the Mullingar based side were the better team for the duration of the game.
St Loman’s were in the ascendancy from the time they scored their first goal - a penalty by Ciara Blundell in the third minute. They found scoring so much easier than Garrycastle. Every score was built from teamwork, slickness and pace. But above all they always had space in their attack to kick scores. They were able to filter players back into defence and then counter at pace to Katie Kilmurray and she had a half pitch to showcase her array of skills.
Garrycastle were the complete opposite to Loman’s and it’s where they came a cropper. The home side had some of the best individuals on the pitch, they gave it everything but they were working more individually than as a team.
Garrycastle just hadn’t the cohesion between defence and attack. Players like Aine Lynn and Lorraine Duncan worked overtime to carry the ball into their forward line. When their forwards did get possession, the attack was too congested and Garrycastle’s forwards simply had no room to create enough scores to win the game. They had the possession but it was all too slow and individual.
Shannon Mulvihill got the scoring up and running with a piledriver of a shot that beat Jane McKenna in the St Loman’s goal. But immediately afterwards Shannon Breslin was fouled and the referee signalled for a penalty. Blundell put away the spot kick and from that moment the visitors didn’t look back.
Economical wing back Lara McCartan left a few Garrycastle players in her wake, with pace, before smashing the ball past Megan McCormack in the Garrycastle goal. Katie Kilmurray was cleverly left isolated one on one continuously for St Loman’s and she scored their third goal. St Loman’s tactic of leaving Kilmurray and Breslin inside in plenty of space worked a treat.
Garrycastle did keep battling in the first half. They were the bigger team physically and Lynn, Lorraine Duncan, Aoife Connolly and Laura Walsh were individually outstanding. Scores from Kacey Mulvihill, Connolly and Shannon Mulvihill, all frees, kept them in the game at the interval. At half-time, it was St Loman’s 3-2 Garrycastle 1-3.
That first half score could have been different had Garrycastle tactically played Walsh and Connolly inside isolated and played the ball into them - similar to what Loman’s were doing with Kilmurray and Breslin.
Garrycastle started the second half fired up, but again it was Lynn and Lorraine Duncan that was doing the digging. They bombarded the St Loman’s defence for the first 10 minutes of the second half but they ended up with nothing to show for it. Walsh inside for Garrycastle looked a player that was capable of winning a match on her own, she had everything, but space, to implement her undoubted array of skills.. Every time Walsh did get possession inside, it was all so congested around the scoring zone. It was too easy for St Loman’s to put three or four players on her, and they did and closed out her danger far too easily.
After many attempts to break down the overcrowded Loman’s defence, finally Lisa Fitzpatrick got off a bullet of a shot that rifled into the Loman’s net. But again, immediately in a counter attack, Loman's had the ball in Garrycastle’s net. Katie Kilmurray again. Again Kilmurray was one on one with her marker, she had the skills and pace to go past her opponent and plant the ball in McCormack’s net.
After 10 minutes of huff and puff from Garrycastle and just a goal to show for it, Loman’s had a goal from one quick attack in response. This was, in essence, the game for 60 minutes. It was all too easy for Katie Kilmurray and Loman’s.
The Mullingar side pushed out the lead with scores from Caoimhe Kilmurray, the excellent Vicky Carr with two scores for herself and Loman’s were 4-5 to 2-4 in the ascendancy in the 50th minute.
Garrycastle showed plenty of resolve. Lynn, Lorraine Duncan and Walsh did try to grab the game by the scruff of the neck many times. But the harder they tried the harder it got on themselves. Resolve they had in abundance and Aoife Connolly used all her prowess to score two inspiring goals in as many minutes and cut the arrears to just one score. For both goals, Connolly had to individually power her way through numerous bodies to get off her shots for goal.
Loman’s were always able to respond though, they would up the pace of their play and tag a few scores together when they felt Garrycastle was getting too close for comfort. With Garrycastle overcrowding their own attack, at the other end St Loman’s attack was full of space and they were able to score at will when they needed to. Connolly’s goals had cut the arrears to just one score with the clock about to go red.
Then Loman’s upped the ante again, once again Katie Kilmurray found herself all alone with her marker close to goal, she received the possession of the ball, rounded her marker before playing in Niamh McGinley, and the substitute scored their fifth goal and that was enough to win the game.
Loman’s came to the game together in a coach, and they brought that togetherness and competence onto the pitch and they are a side that have pace, ability and well organised. They work back in numbers together and counter attack quickly to get the ball up to their lethal inside forwards before their opponents can get back in numbers. They looked a young side and somewhat on the small side, but they made up for that with hard work off the ball and pace and sharpness with possession.
Garrycastle are a team of some fine individuals. They were the bigger team but they forced that physicality and it didn’t work for them. Their forwards simply weren’t working hard enough off the ball, and they seldom got back to help their defenders. Once they find the cohesion between defence and attack and a way of getting their undoubted talented and powerful players to implement their ability best for the team, then they would be more than capable of winning the championship.
Player of the match: Vicky Carr (St Loman’s). Carr was the driving force in the middle of everything St Loman’s did. She used her pace and aggression to set up and create scores and also kicked two scores for herself. She was involved in most of what St Loman’s did well. Katie Kilmurray used the space inside to excellent advantage and looks a real prospect for Westmeath in the future. All the Kilmurray girls were instrumental in St Loman’s win.
For Garrycastle, Lorraine Duncan, Aine Lynn, Laura Walsh and Aoife Connolly were outstanding. Shannon Mulvihill’s 1-1 was crucial to keeping Garrycastle in the game in the first half.
Scorers - St Loman’s: K Kilmurray 2-3 (3f), C Blundell 1-1 (1f), L McCartan 1-0, N McGinley 1-0, C Kilmurray 0-2, V Carr 0-2, S Breslin 0-1. Garrycastle: A Connolly 2-2 (1f), S Mulvihill 1-1 (1f), L Fitzpatrick 1-0, K Mulvihill 0-1f, L Duncan 0-1.
St Loman’s, Mullingar: Jane McKenna, Keelie Mulderry, Muireann Scally, Sandra McGrath, Lara McCartan, Megan Ennis, Aileen Duffy, Aimee Kilmurray, Vicky Carr, Ellen Kilmurray, Caoimhe Kilmurray, Ciara Blundell, Shauna Traynor, Shannon Breslin, Katie Kilmurray. Subs: Laura Murphy for E Kilmurray (45), Niamh McGinley for Breslin (56).
Garrycastle: Megan McCormack, Clodagh McCahey, Aimee Duncan, Lisa Fitzpatrick, Louise Connell, Aoife McGibbon, Lorraine Duncan, Aine Lynn, Laura Walsh, Patrica Igoe, Shannon Mulvihill, Jessica Frawley, Elaine McGovern, Aoife Connolly, Kacey Mulvihill. Subs: Donna Molloy for C McCahey (50).