Armagh 1-8
Cork 1-6
By Anthony Newman
ARMAGH got their second win in the Lidl Ladies NFL at Páirc Ui Rinn when they scored a two points win over Cork.
They went in front after just three minutes from a penalty and they were never behind from there. Cork got level a number of times but they never took the lead as the visitors deservedly held on for the win.
Armagh took the lead when they were awarded a penalty for a foul by Libby Coppinger on Louise Kenny.
Aimee Mackin duly dispatched to the top corner of the net giving Sarah Murphy no chance of saving.
However, their lead didn’t last long with Hannah Looney playing in Daire Kiely for the game’s second green flag to make it a goal apiece.
Mackin put the visitors back in front with a well-taken free and she increased their lead with their first score from play, to make it 1-2 to 1-0.
Katie Quirke, who got all Cork’s scores against Galway, got off the mark after 12 minutes to put one between the sides.
From the restart Armagh had a chance for a goal when Lauren McConville drove forward from centre-back. She looked to play Kenny in, but Murphy was quickly off her line to intercept the pass and clear the danger.
But Cork were finding it hard to stop Mackin as she hit another outstanding score from distance to make it 1-3 to 1-1.
Sadhbh O’Leary got Cork’s second point to put only one between them again, before Quirke had the sides level after 20 minutes.
Just before half time Murphy made another great save, this time denying Kelly Mallon, before Caroline O’Hanlon got the last score of the half to see Armagh lead by one, 1-4 to 1-3 at the break.
Emily Druse increased Armagh’s lead three minutes into the second half as they started brightly.
Cork wasted several chances to get back on level terms, hitting three wides in the first five minutes after the restart. With 40 minutes gone Armagh had the chance for another goal, but this time Melissa Duggan blocked Kenny to deny her a green flag.
This seemed to wake Cork up as they worked the ball down the pitch and Quirke made no mistake this time, to make it 1-5 to 1-4.
McConville made it a two points game again as Cork were finding it difficult to get back on level terms.
Quirke pointed from a free for the home side with 10 minutes to go but Armagh worked the ball straight down the pitch to put two between them again as Niamh Murray split the posts.
They were denied another goal when Murphy pulled off the save of the game to deny Mallon what looked like a green flag. McCoy rounded off the scoring as Armagh came out on top by 1-8 to 1-6.
“It’s a big thing coming from Division Two to Division One,” said Armagh manager Gregory McGonigle. “Work rate is going to be the key for a lot of games, especially in winter football. We had to dig in, but defensively I thought we played very well.
“I’ve been involved with too many teams coming down to Cork and come away with a loss. It’s never easy to get the three points here and we had to earn them.”
Scorers for Armagh: A Mackin 1-3 (pen, 1f), C O’Hanlon, E Druse, L McConville, N Murray, A McCoy 0-1 each.
Scorers for Cork: D Kiely 1-1, K Quirke 0-4 (1f), S O’Leary 0-1.
Mayo 2-5
Galway 0-10
By Darren Kelly
Two goals from Lisa Cafferky secured a first victory for Mayo in this year’s LIDL Ladies National Football League as they held out for a one-point victory over Connacht rivals Galway in Duggan Park, Ballinasloe.
After leading by four points entering the final 10 minutes, Liam McHale’s charges had to resist a late fightback from the hosts who kicked three points through two Roisin Leonard frees and Ailbhe Davoren.
Leonard stepped up again in the final play with a late free which would have secured a share of the spoils but her effort drifted to the left and wide as Galway fell to a second defeat.
Like they did in their opening game against Cork, Galway opened with an early Aoife O’Rourke free but didn’t score again until the quarter hour as two Maria Cannon placed balls had the visitors 0-2 to 0-1 up.
The Tribeswomen created two goal opportunities with Ciara McCarthy and O’Rourke denied. But Mayo were dealt a blow on 14 minutes when Aoife Geraghty was sin-binned for a foul on Aoife Ni Cheallaigh. Galway took advantage with three points through two O’Rourke frees and one from McCarthy.
After winning a free on 22 minutes, Tara Needham’s superb through ball was won by Cafferky who got inside and shot to the net. That made it 1-2 to 0-4 and Mayo added another score two minutes later through Sinead Walsh. But O’Rourke reduced the deficit to 1-3 to 0-5 by half-time.
Galway came close to a goal only for O’Rourke’s shot to be stopped on the line after the restart. Leonard levelled from a 36th minute free but Cafferky’s point from play six minutes later restored Mayo’s one-point lead.
Substitute Linda Booth made it 0-7 to 1-4 on 45 minutes but the game’s critical moment came in Galway’s next attack as Jenna Mortimer and Ciara Needham helped Cafferky finish off her second goal.
Fionnuala McLaughlin added a point to make it 2-5 to 0-7 on 50 minutes but Mayo had to hold off their opponents’ momentum for the remainder even if Tara Needham nearly got a third goal only for a fine save from Galway keeper Dearbhla Gower.
Scorers – Mayo: L Cafferky 2-1, M Cannon 0-2 (2f), S Walsh 0-1, F McLaughlin 0-1.
Galway: A O’Rourke 0-4 (3f), R Leonard 0-3 (3f), C McCarthy 0-1, L Booth 0-1, A Davoren 0-1.
