Minor A ladies football Div 1 Championship, Rd1 &; Rd2

Round 1 vs Kilmacud Crokes, PUM Aug 26th
The day which was pinned to the horizon for most of the summer was upon us at last and our Minor A girls arrived at
PUM for a clash with Kilmacud Crokes in Rd1 of the Div1 Championship. When these two sides met earlier in the year
in the league, Crokes came out the better by a handful of goals. Forewarned is forearmed.
The game was a tough physical battle and Crokes had the edge in the first half, leading by a goal at the half time break.
The second half began in similar fashion, Crokes to their credit defended ferociously throughout making it difficult for
the Boden girls to grab scoring opportunities however they did manage to breach the iron defence on a few occasions
to keep the scoreboard ticking over. That said, it was still not enough to cancel out the Crokes attack which kept the
Boden defenders working tirelessly but not enough to stop Crokes building on their lead, now at seven points, coming
into the last quarter. Sensing that the game was slipping away, the Boden girls bravely kept battling & somehow found
another gear, hitting the Crokes net twice, intertwined with a handful of points to take a two-point lead with minutes
remaining. Crokes kept their patience, and it paid off with a further two scores to level the game before the final
whistle sounded confirming the draw. What an opener to the championship, a thrilling encounter from start to finish,
credit to both sets of players for producing such a competitive and entertaining game, a treat to watch for the big
number of onlookers.
FT: Boden 4:08 K. Crokes 4:08

Round 2 vs St. Sylvesters, Broomfield Sept 2 nd .
A busy start to the week with the Monday evening dash out to Malahide for a 6:45pm throw-in and homework only
partially completed in the back of the car on the way out. Sylvesters, this year’s Div 1 league winners, were promising
to be another tough opponent and given their loss the previous week to Fingallians they, like the Boden girls, were
seeking their first win of the championship. Both teams started the game with clear intent and swapped a goal and a
couple of points each, with handling conditions proving difficult as a greasy ball and pitch surface hindered clean
possession. However, Sylvesters finished the half stronger, adding a further goal along with a string of points to lead by
five at the halfway point. Finding themselves in a familiar place at halftime, the Boden girls were clear on the brief for
the second half. With unbelievable work rate and teamwork in all areas of the pitch, the Boden girls brought the game
to within one point by the end of the third quarter, finding the net twice along the way. All to play for now heading
towards the final minutes of another end-to-end high tempo game, Boden found the net once more to take the lead,
but a resilient Sylvesters kept their patience and slotted over the necessary last two points to win the game by the
narrowest of margins. Heartbreak for the Boden girls but its onwards and upwards for this group and already looking
forward to our final group game on the 9 th of Sept against Fingallians.
Special note of thanks to Boden U16 girls, Doireann Fitzgerald and Cliodhna O’Donoghue who travelled out to sub on
the Boden line. Míle buíochas.
FT: Boden 4:06 Sylvesters 3:10

 

Team photo: Anna Horan, Carla Callan, Aobh O’Neill, Emma Fogarty, Cara Cosgrove, Saoirse McMahon, Ella Kenny, Rachel Heavy, Karrie Rudden, Emma Moran, Rachel Vaughan, Lauryn O’Brien Jennings, Sadhbh Dunne, Susie Greville, Charlie Murphy, Millie Larkin, Áine
Mulvaney. Áine Corser, Aoife McLaughlin, Ella Curtin, Olivia O’Brien, Sarah Rusk.