Loreto strike late to reach All-Ireland final

All Ireland Post Primary Senior A Semi Final

by Aoife Lanigan, PRO

Loreto 3-13 Ursuline Thurles 3-12

Loreto survived a scare that nearly derailed their All-Ireland title ambitions, when they beat the Ursuline Thurles in a pulsating All-Ireland Senior Colleges semi-final.

The Loreto burst out of the blocks in Jenkinstown on Saturday and scored a great goal after two minutes from corner forward Julie Lennon, giving the Ursuline goalie no chance with a rasper of a shot passed her.

Sarah Corcoran scored a point from play in the 5th minute to open Ursuline Thurles account. Julie Lennon added to her tally with a point from play after a neat handpass from Caoimhe Keher Murtagh found her in space.

In the 10th minute, Loreto extended their lead further with a Caoimhe Keher Murtagh point from play, this was followed up with a point from play from Rachel Dowling (L) to leave the score 1-3 to 0-1 after the first quarter.

Loreto tagged on two more points, through Caoimhe Keher Murtagh after fielding a Rachel Brennan free and Aisling Browne bursting out of defence and slotting over a lovely point.

Emma Mulhall added a point for Loreto scoring from the left wing on her own club pitch.

Heading towards the interval Corcoran and Aisling Browne traded points to leave the score 1-7 to 0-7 in favour of Loreto at the break.

On the resumption of play, Loreto added to their tally with points through Caoimhe Keher Murtagh and Rachel Dowling.

Then Ursuline hit a purple patch, scoring 1-2 without reply to equalise, Sarah Corcoran scoring a point from play after Ali Kennedy in the Loreto goal had made a fine save from a Caoimhe Stakelum shot.

Corcoran then added another point from a free after being fouled herself. Lucy Purcell scored the goal after good approach work by Caoimhe Purcell.

Julie Lennon put Loreto ahead again in the 41st minute with a point from play, but Ursuline hit back again with 1-2 without reply.

Kate Ferncombe with a great point on the run. Alisha Kearney scoring the goal after a Sarah Corcoran free dropped in the square and a Lucy Purcell point off the hurl on the run.

Amy Clifford pointed a free in the 47th minute and from the puck out, Loreto worked the sliotar up to Clifford again and she was brought down just outside the square.

Clifford converted the resulting free over the bar to narrow the gap to two.

In the 51st minute, Loreto cleared the sliotar out of defence, Caoimhe Keher Murtagh played a one-two with Ciara Dunne, before laying it off to Clifford and she blasted it passed the Thurles goalie to put Loreto ahead again. Lucy Purcell nipped in behind the Loreto defence and slotted the ball past Kennedy in the Loreto goal, to put Ursuline ahead again heading towards full-time.

From the puckout, the sliotar was played to Caoimhe Keher Murtagh. She ran at speed towards the Thurles goal, she laid it off to Amy Clifford – she blasted it to the back of the net to put Loreto back in front by a point.

Now Ursuline needed to find an equaliser or a goal to win the match. The sliotar was fed to Robyn Fitzgerald and she slotted over the equaliser.

Both teams went for a winner, but their defences stood firm until Loreto substitute Niamh Holohan found Julie Lennon in the 62nd minute and Julie slotted over the winning point and put Loreto through to the All-Ireland Senior A final against St Pat’s Maghera (Derry) on February 18

Loreto Kilkenny Scorers – Amy Clifford 2-2 (2f), Julie Lennon 1-3, Caoimhe Keher Murtagh 0-3, Rachel Dowling, Aisling Browne 0-2 each, Emma Mulhall 0-1

Ursuline Thurles – Lucy Purcell 2-2, Sarah Corcoran 0-4 (2f), Alisha Kearney 1-0, Kate Ferncombe 0-3, Caoimhe Stakelum 0-2, Robyn Fitzgerald 0-1

Loreto Kilkenny – Ali Kennedy (Windgap), Caoimhe Carroll (Dicksboro), Moya O’Brien (St Brigid’s), Orlaith Kirwan (Thomastown), Emma Corr (Clara), Rachel Brennan (Captain) (Tullaroan), Aisling Browne (Dicksboro), Lauren East (St Brigid’s), Rose Kelly (Dicksboro), Emma Mulhall (Conahy Shamrocks), Caoimhe Keher Murtagh (Rower Inistioge), Amy Clifford (Dicksboro), Julie Lennon (Young Irelands), Ciara Dunne (Tullaroan), Rachel Dowling (Dicksboro)

Subs – Anna Doheny (Tullaroan) for Rachel Dowling, Niamh Holohan (Lisdowney) for Rose Kelly, Angela Carroll (Dicksboro) for Emma Corr, Luci Brennan Bennettsbridge), Chloe Delaney (Lisdowney), Claire Doheny (St Brigid’s), Ava Dooley (Lisdowney), Roisin Hanlon (St Martin’s), Hannah Joyce (James Stephens), Ava McCabe (Conahy Shamrocks), Claire Murphy (Clara), Isabelle Egan (Dicksboro), Isabelle Fahy (Dicksboro), Abbie Gibbons (Durrow Harps), Lisa Kirby (Durrow Harps), Ambar Laherty (Mullinavat), Jenna Larkin (James Stephens), Tara McGrath (Dicksboro), Isabel Roberts (Dicksboro),  Louisa Gilmore (Danesfort), Aoife Shealy (O’Loughlin Gaels), Emily Smith (James Stephens), Lucy Body (Clara), Amy Lawless (Conahy Shamrocks), Marie O’Keeffe, (Young Irelands) (inj), Anna Scott, (Lisdowney) (inj)

Ursuline, Thurles – Orla Ryan (Clonoulty), Aoife Kavanagh (Emeralds), Alison Fitzgerald (Holycross), Caoimhe Fitzgibbon (Moycarkey Borris), Emma Kelly (Borrisoleigh), Lorna Ryan (Joint Captain) (Clonoulty), Paula Quirke (Boherlahan), Aoife Bourke (Clonoulty), Kate Ferncombe (Clonoulty), Sarah Corcoran (Moycarkey Borris), Louise Hickey (Joint Captain) (Emeralds), Lucy Purcell (Thurles Sarsfields), Danielle Ryan (Boherlahan), Caoimhe Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields), Alisha Kearney (Moycarkey Borris)

Subs – Robyn Fitzgerald for Louise Hickey, inj; Michelle Dwan (Holycross), Louise Creagh (St Brigid’s), Tara Gleeson (Emeralds), Ava Bevans (Borrisoleigh), Therese Ryan (Clonoulty), Rachel Phelan (Emeralds), Grainne O’Donnell (Moyle Rovers), Sarah Quinlan (Holycross), Laura Egan (Clonoulty), Ella Minogue (Emeralds), Andrea Quirke (Clonoulty), Evie Smyth (Fethard), Aoife Lanigan (Gortnahoe), Miah Bourke (Holycross), Therese Rochford (Gortnahoe), Karen Campion, Roisin Duffy (Burgess), Moya Brennan (St Anne’s), Marie Ralph (Thurles Sarsfields), Anna Wynne (St Brigid’s), Clodagh Ryan (Clonoulty), Jane Corcoran(Moycarkey Borris), Emma Corcoran (Moycarkey Borris), Kate Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields), Kate Marnane (Knockavilla), Aisling O’Loughlin (St Anne’s), Leah O’Keeffe (Holycross), Hannah Clarke (Borrisoleigh), Laragh Griffin (Thurles Sarsfields)

Referee – Kieran Bowe (Laois)