Wexford FC Women come from behind to defeat Shamrock Rovers

Irish Independent

a day ago

The Slaneysiders came into the game on a high after reaching the All-Island final seven days earlier and while the league title is realistically out of reach, the chance to take a top three finish kept the momentum rolling against the Tallaght side.
With Freya De Mange out injured and Becky Cassin returning, Wexford reverted to a more familiar system but did interestingly drop Kylie Murphy deeper, while giving Ellen Molloy the role at the top of the formation.
There's not a defence in the country that would prefer to see Molloy in that position rather than deeper and the reason why was obvious, with the Kilkenny native dragging and pulling the two centre-backs all over the place with her elusiveness on the ball, when given decent supply.
However, Wexford had the first problem in the fifth minute when Anna Butler got to the byline and crossed to the six-yard box.
A rare spill by Maria O'Sullivan saw the ball squirm towards the goal-line but Lauren Dwyer, making her 200th appearance for the club, hooked the ball off the line.
Molloy, in her advanced position, took control of the ball near the edge of the area, drove at the Rovers defence and unleashed a powerful strike that Summer Lawless was able to get behind and hold.
In the ninth minute Leah McGrath got away on the right-hand side and crossed to the middle where Molloy flicked towards an unmarked Ciara Rossiter. The left-winger controlled and let fly but her effort whizzed past the far post.
Molloy continued to cause problems and off-loaded for Aoife Kelly to fire an effort on target as the hosts looked for the breakthrough.
After a quiet few minutes, Molloy had another chance, this time forcing Lawless into an excellent save when lashing Rossiter's cross on target.
The game continued to settle into a pattern of midfield probing, that was until Shamrock Rovers took the lead when a sliced shot by Jaime Thompson fell at the feet of Ella Kelly at the back post and she fired to the net from an acute angle.
Having done very little to deserve a lead in the opening half-hour, Rovers were lifted by the opening goal and went close to a second when Emily Corbet fired in a shot that Maria O'Sullivan parried to safety.
The Wexford 'keeper saved from Kelly from the edge of the area in the 37th minute, while Claire O'Reilly flashed over the crossbar from Anna Butler's cross from the right.
Scarlett Herron tested O'Sullivan at the end of the half as the interval whistle came at the right time for the hosts.
Wexford emerged from the interval with a positive attitude and Cassin sent an effort just wide within two minutes of the restart.
Aoife Kelly should have done better when Wicklow native Cassin played her in moments later, but her shot was blocked by Lawless.
From the resulting corner Lawless punched towards her own goal but the ball was cleared off the line.
Ciara Rossiter sent a left-footed effort that had the visiting 'keeper scrambling as Wexford's intensity continued to trouble Rovers.
A Kylie Murphy header from Cassin's corner was deflected over in the 56th minute, but things had settled until Ellen Molloy's ball across the box fell to Becky Cassin on the edge of the area and the midfielder curled a lovely finish into the roof of the net.
Wexford went in front in the 72nd minute when a back header in the Rovers defence only picked out Aoife Kelly lurking inside. The Carlow native slotted a composed finish past Lawless with the visitors erroneously looking around for a flag.
After a sloppy second-half, the Rovers response was meek. Indeed, Wexford could have added a third in the 89th minute when Molloy cut back inside the box but was unable to beat Lawless with a weak finish.
Wexford are back in league action on Saturday when they make the trip to Greenogue to face Peamount United.
Then, after a week's break, they will return to Ferrycarrig Park to play their final fixture against Treaty before the All-Island Cup final against Bohemians.
Wexford FC: Maria O'Sullivan; Aisling Roche, Lauren Dwyer, Della Doherty, Orlaith Conlon; Becky Cassin; Leah McGrath, Kylie Murphy (capt.), Aoife Kelly, Ciara Rossiter; Ellen Molloy. Subs. - Charlotte Cromack for McGrath (62), Ciara Maher for Roche, inj. (69), Millie Daly for Rossiter (90+1), also Lauren Kelly, Eimear Roche, Jenny Ryan, Niamh Tyrrell, Róisín Joyce.
Shamrock Rovers: Summer Lawless, Fiona Owens, Scarlett Herron, Maria Reynolds, Emily Corbet, Ella Kelly, Áine O'Gorman, Anna Butler, Aoife Brophy, Jaime Thompson, Claire O'Reilly. Subs. - Delia Cowper-Gray for Butler (81), also Laura Fanning, Aimee Neal, Mia Dodd, Melissa O'Kane, Keelin Comiskey, Hannah Martin, Taylor White, Ciara Whyte.