WU19
Our WU19s welcomed Longford to Finn Park this Sunday afternoon. Harps dominated possession from the start, with Codie Walsh, Éabha Daly, and Eva Blaney controlling the midfield. Out wide, Maryanne Ward and Ella McHugh were constant threats, keeping the pressure on Longford.
The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Walsh struck a powerful shot from outside the box, leaving the keeper with no chance as it flew into the net. The introduction of Olivia Maxwell gave Harps even more energy—she showed great skill. Orlaith Doherty soon after raced forward but her shot was well saved however the rebound set up Aoibheann Mullan as she tapped the ball into the net. Daly continued to dominate in the middle breaking down any Longford attacks.
Maxwell also continued to shine, assisting the next two goals. She played in Doherty and Mullan again, and both made no mistake in beating the keeper. The final goal was a standout moment from Sophie McLaughlin, who made a fantastic solo run from her own half before finishing brilliantly. A top performance from McLaughlin, who stepped up from the WU17 team.
Players of the Match were Erika Gallagher in defence, who dealt with everything that came her way, and Olivia Maxwell, who assisted three goals and showed real quality throughout.
A big thank you to the girls from Convoy, Finn Valley, Raphoe, and Drumkeen who came out to support the team—it was great to see!
WU17
Sligo Rovers WU17 1-1 Finn Harps
This National League WU17 game was played at the astroturf pitch at the showgrounds in Sligo on a lovely day for football. Credit to both teams for producing an excellent game of football on a warm pleasant day.
Harps started brightly with wingers Claragh Gallagher and Aoibhin Cassidy productive early on as they combined well with Rachel Harron and Chloe Deeney. Full backs Erin Nelis and Fia Coyle were defending very well and goalkeeper Caoimhe McLaughlin had to be alert as she saved well from a snapshot just inside the box.
Sligo grew more into the game and were a constant threat from set pieces, especially a couple of late corners in the half. The midfield pairing of Hannah Goudie and Alannah Curran were very industrious in midfield. Harps came close to scoring at the end of the half when good work from Cliodhna Kelly that ended with a cross was bravely headed goalwards by Sarah McGuinness but cleared off the line by a Sligo defender.
Kyra Gavigan was having a solid game in centre midfield for Harps and the lively pairing of Sarah Mulvaney-Kelly and Sophie McLaughlin were very dangerous with their penetrating runs and almost got in on a number of occasions. The centre half pairing of Megan Gallagher and Scarlett Keys were equal to everything that was thrown at them. Sorcha keys and Sophie Doherty were excellent too.
The deadlock was broken in the 68th minute when Sarah McGuinness unleashed a lethal shot from distance to the corner of the net to give Harps the lead. Rihanna Doherty was having a great half in goals and made a couple of great catches to deny Sligo. The home team applied pressure on the away team after this and were rewarded in the 77th minute when Ava Hallinan fired home from distance with a fine equaliser.
A fair result in the end and the point puts Harps second in the league table in Phase 1 with 2 games to play. Scarlett Keys and Megan Gallagher shared the POTM award.
MU20
There was heartbreak for the Harps MU20s at Finn Park last week as St Pat’s turned around a two goal deficit to win 3-2. Declan Patton had put Harps ahead early on and Danile Cunningham added a second on 52 minutes. Pat’s roared back into the game with three goals in thirteen minutes to turn the game on its head.
MU17
Harps MU17s went down by two goals to nil last weekend in a game played at TU Dublin Blanchardstown. A goal in each half saw the hosts take the points.
MU14
It was a tough day for the Harps MU14s against St Pat’s in TU Dublin Blanchardstown as the home side won four one. A three goal salvo in 6 minutes saw Pat’s lead at the break, before Charlie Bonner pulled one back. Pat’s added one more before the end to run out comfortable winners.