Rosie Penalty Save Help’s Waterford to Back To Back Wins over Kerry

Six days on from beating Kerry in this year’s National League Division two Ladies Football Final at Parnell Park in Dublin, Ciaran Curran’s Waterford senior ladies football team made it back to back wins over their rivals in the opening game of this year’s Munster Championship game at Cusack Park on Saturday evening last, the curtain raiser to the Munster Senior Football Championship game between Clare and Waterford.

This game was always expected to be a much tighter affair than the game in the capital, a game where Waterford at one point had opened up a fifteen point advantage on the score board and those expecting a tighter game this time out were not to be left disappointed.

In Ladies Football when side meet for the second time in quick succession it is often the side that loses the first game is often the sides that learns most and when the sides meet again they often come out on top.

Early in this game it looked as if this was again going to be the case in this one as Kerry opened up a four point lead inside the opening 11 minutes of this game, but once Waterford began to get on top at the start of the second quarter there was no doubting as to which was the better of the two sides once more.

Waterford in the second quarter did enough to go in at the break with the scores level on the board and when they came out for the second half, whatever was said to the players at the break was obvious to have had an effect as Ciaran Curran’s side came out kicking seven scores in the third quarter without response.

And while Kerry would come into the game once more in the final quarter thanks in no small part to a second goal from Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh with nine minutes of the game remaining, Waterford were able to find the scores in the closing minutes to ensure back to back wins over the girls from the Kingdom.

Kerry however will be wondering ‘what if’ as with three minutes to go in this game Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh had the chance to secure a hat-trick of goals when her side was awarded a penalty following a foul from Caoimhe McGrath, but the Kerry full forward could not find a way past Rosie Landers who has made the number one shirt her own this season in her first year involved in the panel, having started the year as the second choice goalkeeper.

Sarah Houlihan opened the scoring for Kerry with a fifth minute free, and six minutes later the very experienced Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh was pulled down by Kate McGrath who was issued with a yellow card resulting in a ten minute time out for her by referee Kevin O’Brien. The Corca Dhuibhne player dusted herself down before taking the resulting penalty which she put past Rosie Landers in the Waterford goal opening up a 1-1 to no score lead for Kerry.

Waterford’s first score came on 16 minutes through the hard working Eimear Fennell who fired to the net leaving just one between the sides. The same player would level matters just three minutes later after some good work combining with Michelle Ryan.

Sarah Houlihan from a free edged the side from the Kingdom back in front with a converted free seven minutes from the break, but Waterford would go in at the end of a low scoring half thanks to an effort two minutes after Houlihan had given Kerry the lead.

Maria Delahunty gave Waterford lead the first time on 32 minutes when she put over a free. Eimear Fennell extended the Waterford lead just seconds later and when Maria Delahunty pointed from another free five minutes after the restart Waterford had opened up a three point lead.

Chloe Fennell and Maria Delahunty added further scores for the eventual winners before Róisín Tobin and Michelle Ryan two of the longer serving players on this side pointed to open up a 1-9 to 1-2 lead for Waterford with 15 minutes to play.

Kerry’s first score of the second half came from Niamh Carmody on 46 minutes followed with a similar score by Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh three minutes later. The same player netted her second goal of the game on 51 minutes which brought her side to with two of Waterford (1-9 to 2-4), but this would prove to be her sides last of the half.

Aileen Wall get her name on the score sheet on 52 minutes and five minutes later Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh was given the chance of completing her hat-trick when Caoimhe McGrath gave away a penalty and as a result was forced to sit out the remainder of the game, but this time the Kerry full forward could not find a way past Rosie Landers who brilliantly saved from 12 metres

Waterford rounded off a comfortable win with points either side of the hour mark, first through Eimear Fennell and then from Katie Murray in the first minute of added time.

Waterford: Rosie Landers; Aisling Mullaney, Caoimhe McGrath, Rebecca Casey; Kate McGrath, Karen McGrath, Róisín Tobin; Emma Murray, Katie Murray; Kelly Ann Hogan, Chloe Fennell, Maria Delahunty; Eimear Fennell, Michelle Ryan, Aileen Wall.

Subs: Caragh McCarthy for Aisling Mullaney (56), Shauna Dunphy for Eimear Fennell (60).

Scorers: Eimear Fennell 1-03, Maria Delahunty 0-03 (0-02f), Emma Murray, Chloe Fennell, Róisín Tobin, Michelle Ryan, Aileen Wall, Katie Murray 0-01 each.

Kerry: Kayleigh Cronin; Eilis Lynch, Aislinn Desmond, Ciara O’Brien; Sophie Lynch, Aisling O’Connell, Miriam O’Keeffe; Lorraine Scanlon, Amanda Brosnan; Ciara Murphy, Anna Galvin, Niamh Carmody; Sarah Houlihan, Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Hannah O’Donoghue.

Subs: Laoise Coughlan for Aislinn Desmond (14), Emma Dineen for Miriam O’Keeffe (39), Fiadhna Tangney for Anna Galvin (47), Brid Ryan for Amanda Brosnan (57), Erica McGlynn for Sarah Houlihan (60).

Scorers: Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh 2-01 (1-0pen), Sarah Houlihan 0-2 (0-02f), N Carmody 0-01.

Referee: Kevin O’Brien (Limerick).