Greenfields take Connacht Senior Cup

Greenfields 2               NUIG 1

Greenfields 1sts completed a magnificent season when they added the Connacht Senior Cup to the Irish Trophy after getting the better of NUIG in a hard fought second half battle in Dangan on Saturday.

 The game was played in bright sunshine and the chilly north breeze was needed at times in the second half to cool things down.

 Greenfields owned the first half. They took the game to College from the off and controlled proceedings, keeping possession with good passing movements and making good use of space.

The back four, Aine Collins, Clodagh Grealy, Catherine Moore and Alison Ryan would keep the ball between themselves before giving good possession to midfielders Neasa McGettigan, Gillian Heavey and Rachel Wyer who in turn fed the forwards with quick ball. However, as often happens when a team dominates College goalkeeper Emilie Molloy played the proverbial blinder and kept her team in the match with a string of top drawer saves.

Two of these were off short corners. The first half corner count was six to one in favour of the Greens. Shots by Alison Ryan to the left corner and a rocket by Neasa McGettigan were stopped  by Molloy as well as several from play in between which prevented Trish Garrett, Neasa McGettigan again and Clodagh Grealy from scoring.

She could do nothing about Greenfields first goal in the 23^rd minute. Neasa McGettigan took possession in midfield. Clodagh Grealy made a strong run from the back and  McGettigan put the ball into her path. Grealy carried to the box, drew the goalkeeper and passed right to Trish Garrett who had the simplest of tasks to tap in.

 Colleges only short in the first half brought out the best in Sinead Collins when she dived right to deny Hannah Jenkinson’s powerful shot.

College should patent whatever it is they got at half time. A different team emerged in the second half and a very tense, hard but sporting affair followed. College tore into the opposition immediately and were awarded a short corner in the first minute followed by two more in quick succession. However Greenfields never panicked. The back four stood firm and it was they who scored next on sixteen minutes. McGettigan was again involved at midfield. She passed left to Ailbhe Finnerty who fed the ball to Clodagh Kennedy, she taking possession while running to her right. She scored with a brilliant shot to the right hand corner.

Within two minutes College pulled one back. Aoife Smyth took the ball down the right passed to Orla Callanan. She fed the ball to Jane O’Higgins who was running through the centre. O’Higgins carried the ball into the box and scored with a pile driver.

College were buoyed up with this score and the remainder of the game was tense with nerves frayed at times involving the sin binning of College’s Hannah Jenkinson followed a few minutes later by Greenfields Liz Tighe. But it was never dirty. Whilst at one end Aimee O’Connor forced a good save from Sinead Collins and the post denied Eilish Walsh at the other end Emilie Molloy denied Clodagh Grealy and Rachel Wyer in turn. They were also a few narrow wides in between. However, Greenfields held out to record their historic double.

Greenfields captain Alma Whelan was on the last NUIG team to win this trophy and NUIG’s captain Aoife Smyth was on the last Greenfields winning team. Both were magnanimous in their speeches both specifying that if they had a choice of who they were to lose to it would be Saturdays opponents.