NORTHERN Ireland Under-16 Girls kicked off the SuperCupNI on Monday with a five-goal defeat of Northeast Rush but, given the demands of tournament, football coach Danielle McDowell Tuffey made a number of changes to her starting XI for game against Shamrock Rovers.
Madison Bell, Sasha Cowan, Annarose Robinson, Ruby Adair, Grace Guest and Emilee Leacock all came into the side while Chloe Beckinsale was once again named captain.
Northern Ireland created a lot of the early running, and might have moved in front after Daisy Moore took the ball past three defenders before laying it off for Ruby Adair who was unlucky not to get her shot away.
Grace Guest then showed great strength to win the ball in midfield and, with a precise pass, found Adair who outpaced a Rovers defender to finish well and edge Northern Ireland in front.
Annarose Robinson might have added a second only to fire just over from Heidi Curran’s corner.
Rovers, a strong, physical and direct side, pressed for the equaliser and were denied when Holly Hilton made a great block to deny a goalscoring opportunity, before keeper Madison Bell made a fingertip save from a free-kick.
However, with 20 minutes on the clock, the Dubliners did level when their striker got on the end of a through ball to finishwell.
Half-time: Northern Ireland WU16s 1 Shamrock Rovers 1
Looking to regain the advantage after the break, Robinson got a shot on target from Adair’s pass only for the Rovers keeper to save well.
Abbie Smyth then cut from the left and curled her shot just over.
But, shortly after those chances, Rovers went down the other end to grab what proved to be the winner when Northern Ireland failed to clear their lines and were breached by a low driven finish at the near post.
Rovers then forced a series of corners in an attempt to add to their lead but these were well defended well by captain Chloe Beckinsale and Sasha Cowan while Emilee Leacock and Smyth had opportunities as Northern Ireland pressed hard for the equaliser.
The girls conclude their group campaign on Wednesday (kick-off 7:30pm) against Manchester United at Dixon Park.
The Red Devils lost to Shamrock Rovers in their opening game, but recovered to defeat Northeast Rush today at Allen Park.
For further information on the tournament go to www.supercupni.com.
Full-time: Northern Ireland WU16s 1 Shamrock Rovers 2
Northern Ireland U16s: Madison Bell, Holly Hilton, Chloe Beckinsale (captain), Sasha Cowan, Heidi Curran, Annarose Robinson, Ruby Adair, Grace Guest, Daisy Moore, Abbie Smyth, Emilee Leacock. Substitutes: Sophie Glover (GK), Lily-Brooke Wallace, Mirjana Karrabecaj, Charlotte Havern, Maja Stachura, Ava Hurl, Sally Lynch
Elsewhere in the Premier section, Manchester United crushed Northeast Rush 4-1, while American side Surf Select ran out 2-0 winners against Donegal team Finn Harps.
In the evening kick-off at Dixon Park in Ballyclare, Brighton and Aston Villa played out an enjoyable 2-2 draw in front of a crowd that enjoyed another dose of summer night football.
In the Junior section, there were more goals at Monkstown in the early kick-off with Manchester United sinking FC United 7-1. There were draws for two of the local sides, with Larne finishing 2-2 against Northeast Rush and Crusaders managing a 1-1 draw with Scottish side.
