Silverware for Louth girls team after extra-time triumph at prestigious Gaynor Cup
After a goal-less 60 minutes of normal time, Hilary Adeniran's strike in the first period of extra time proved the difference.
The Albion Rovers striker won the Player of the Match award for her huge impact off the bench, and she might have put the seal on the win with a couple of subsequent gilt-edged chances.
But the game remained in the balance right up until the final whistle, its sound sparking huge celebrations for the Louth girls, who saw out a well-deserved victory.
Captain Maisie Ball lifted the Gaynor Trophy to cap off a memorable week for the under-14 squad, which began with a fiercely contested group stage.
Louth kicked off Group 5 on Monday with a 1-1 draw against Kilkenny - Ellie Malone grabbing a late equaliser - before a narrow 1-0 defeat to eventual group winners Mayo kicked off Tuesday's action.
Anna-May Lynch's equaliser earned another 1-1 draw, this time against Tipperary South, but results in other games meant that the side finished bottom of a tight group and so progressed into the Trophy competition.
Wednesday's quarter-final against Inishowen was another tense affair, with Rosie Fox's 14th-minute strike cancelled out by a second-half equaliser from the north Donegal outfit, which sent the game to penalties.
Goalkeeper Abi Osawaru saved the first Inishowen spot kick to put Louth in the driving seat, with successful penalties from Sophia Mackin, Rosie Fox, Mia Van Der Westhuizen and Éabha Byrne sealing the win.
A semi-final win over Derry followed on Thursday, with Ball's strike giving Louth a half-time lead. A Van Der Westhuizen own goal drew Derry level at the start of the second half, but Louth gathered themselves and strikes from Fox and Adeniran saw them through to the final and a shot at the Gaynor Trophy. It was a chance they didn't pass up, and so now the LSGL Academy can add the 2025 Gaynor Trophy to the 2022 Gaynor Bowl and the 2021 Gaynor Trophy previously secured.
That's three pieces of silverware in five appearances at Ireland's premier youth football tournament for the LSGL - a remarkable achievement for a league that was only founded in 2019.
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Academy head coach Robbie Corr and LSGL chairperson Robbie Corr said: 'This week proved what's possible when a group of players believe in themselves, trust each other, and never stop working for the badge.
'Winning the Gaynor Trophy is a reward for every extra session, every tough moment, and every ounce of resilience shown along the way. This is just the start for these players. Their potential is massive, and I'm proud to have been part of their journey.'
LOUTH: Goalkeepers: Féile May Buckley (Walshestown), Abi Osawaru (Rock Celtic). Defenders: Anna Cromwell (Dromin Utd), Lily-Mae Curtis (Square United), Erin Kavanagh (Albion Rovers), Grace McEvoy (Rock Celtic), Mia Van Der Westhuizen (Rock Celtic). Defenders / Midfielders: Masie Ball (Rock Celtic), Anna-May Lynch (Blayney Academy), Anna-Lilly McDonnell (Rock Celtic), Anna-Kelly O'Reilly (East Meath Utd), Ellen Wright (Castletown Belles). Midfielders: Ava Fanning (Albion Rovers), Ellie Malone (Albion Rovers), Sophie McCabe (Castletown Belles), Hollie Rogers (Muirhevna Mor). Forwards: Hillary Adeniran (Albion Rovers), Éabha Byrne (Castletown Belles), Rosie Fox (Quay Celtic), Sophia Mackin (Quay Celtic)
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