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Go Ahead Ireland Dublin LGFA Junior N Club Championship Final
Lucan Sarsfields D 4-11 Templeogue Synge Street C 0-04
By Nigel McCarthy
Three first half goals set the solid foundations for Lucan Sarsfields D to claim the 2025 Go Ahead Ireland, Dublin LGFA Junior N Club Championship title against Templeogue Synge Street C on Sunday morning in St Margarets GAA club.
The scoreline would suggest it was a one-sided contest, but this would have been a lot tighter if it wasn’t for Lucan Sarsfields goalkeeper Emma O’Flynn who put in a player of the match performance with five excellent saves, including a penalty save late in the first half.
By half-time Lucan Sarsfields had built up a healthy fourteen-point lead courtesy of three goals scored by Lauren Markey, Rebecca Harte and Hannah Mulvanney.
Templeogue Synge Street though will have felt a little unlucky not to have been much closer on the scoreboard to their opponents at the break, they certainly had their chances, but they found Emma O’Flynn between the posts in top form as she pulled of a string of saves to keep Templeogue at bay.
The second half was a much tighter affair on the scoreboard, Lucan Sarsfields extended their lead in the opening seven minutes, but Templeogue Synge Street battled gamely on and manufactured a couple of goal scoring opportunities, but as they had been in the first half, they were thwarted by Lucan goalkeeper Emma O’Flynn who was determined to keep a clean sheet.
Lucan midfielder Lauren Markey grabbed her second goal of the game in the forty seventh minute to bring her personal tally to 2-05, but surprisingly that was to be Lucan Sarsfields last score of the game.
Although the outcome of the game was all but decided at this stage, the Templeogue Synge Street players pushed right to the final whistle and their never say die attitude and work rate was rewarded with the last three points of an entertaining final.
But the day belonged to Lucan Sarsfields who were worthy winners in the end and they will take the Junior N title back to their home ground on the Newcastle Road in Lucan.
The game exploded into life in the 2nd minute when Lauren Markey, who had been involved in the build-up to the opening Lucan attack, expertly finished to the net for the game’s opening goal.
A minute later Lucan stretched the lead to four points with a converted free from Rebecca Harte.
Templeogue Synge Street won the resultant kick-out and moved the ball between the lines, but their foray forward was overturned by full-back Lauren Gilsenan who hit a long clearance to Hanna Mulvanney in space just past the middle of the park, Mulvanney turned took a couple strides forward and popped the ball to the onrushing Lauren Markey who stroked the ball over the bar.
A minute later a sideline ball was collected by Mulvanney who dinked a hand pass to Lauren Markey running off her shoulder and the impressive Markey popped over another point.
In the ninth minute Hannah Mulvanney extended the Lucan Sarsfields lead with a fine point.
Templeogue Synge Street won the resultant kick-out and Aoife Power after a powerful run through the centre of the field registered her sides first point of the game.
From the kick-out Templeogue secured the ball, but a pass into the forward line was overturned by Lauren Gilsenan, the full-back looked up field and hit a long high clearance which was gathered by Lauren Markey who popped the ball off to Rebecca Harte, the centre half-forward took a couple of strides with the ball and hit a speculative effort from distance for a point, the ball arrowed towards the posts and at the last second dipped just under the crossbar and into the net over the despairing hands of Templeogue goalkeeper Marianne McHugh.
Six minutes to the break Lucan added their third goal of the half, the Sarsfields defence turned the ball over in their own half, released Lauren Markey who powered forward through the middle, cut in right and hand passed to Hannah Mulvanney, the full forward turned past her marker and coolly slotted the ball home.
Points from Aoibhín Sharkey and Lauren Markey stretched the Lucan Sarsfields lead out to fourteen with four minutes left to the break.
Templeogue Synge Street who had seen a couple of goal efforts saved by Emma O’Flynn were thrown a lifeline just before the half-time whistle when they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Ruby Whittaker. Aoife Power stood up to take the spot kick but unfortunately seen her well struck effort saved by Emma O’Flynn to leave the score at the break 3-06 to 0-01.
The second half was a much tighter affair, Lucan Sarsfields though added three more points to their tally in the opening seven minutes of the half scored by Siobhan Casey, Lauren Markey and Kate Brennan.
A couple of attacks from Templeogue unfortunately came to nothing with a couple of efforts just missing the target and the heroics of Emma O’Flynn in the Lucan goal keeping them at bay.
In the forty fourth minute Lauren Markey added her fifth point of the game.
Hannah Mulvanney then made a good run down the left, cut inside and hand passed to Aoife McKelvey who scored her first point of the final as Lucan pulled further away on the scoreboard.
And with thirteen minutes remaining Lucan Sarsfields added a fourth goal, Rebecca Harte overturned the ball in midfield, found Hannah Mulvanney with a fine foot pass and Lauren Markey an ever willing runner received the ball from Mulvanney and buried the ball to the net.
Surprisingly that was to be Lucan’s last score of the game, Templeogue could have been forgiven for letting their heads drop, but they battled on with the enthusiasm they had shown throughout and scored the last three points of the game all from the boot of Aoife Power, two from open play and the other from a free. But it wasn’t to be their day and Lucan Sarsfields deservedly claimed the spoils.
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