Meath battle past Kildare and the elements to progress to last eight
Meath booked their place in the TG4 Ladies All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals with victory over Kildare in a low-scoring game at Manguard Park.
It was a game of two halves. For most of the first half weather conditions were poor with lashing rain and there were, understandably, plenty of mistakes made by both sides with spilled balls and loose passing.
The rain stopped just before the break and dry conditions followed for the second half, but the football was still quite poor. Meath upped their performance and that was the difference in the end.
Kildare's Lara Curran opened the scoring in the second minute and six minutes later Roisin Byrne hit over a lovely point to put two between the sides. Emma Duggan pointed a free in the 11th minute for the Royals to get them off the mark.
In the 15th minute Marion Farrelly's effort was blocked, while at the other end Byrne had a shot blocked down by Mary-Kate Lynch.
Just before half-time, Duggan fired over a free to level matters at 0-02 apiece. Meath kicked four wides in the opening half too.
A third point from the boot of Duggan edged Meath in front for the first time in the 38th minute. Three minutes later, the Dunboyne woman doubled her side's advantage when she hit over her third point of the game.
Meath were reduced to 14 players in the 44th minute when Vikki Wall was adjudged to have fouled Claire Sullivan and she was shown a yellow card.
With numerical advantage Kildare went on the attack; Ellen Dowling brought an excellent save out of Meath keeper Robyn Murray in the 48th minute.
The lead was extended to four points in the 59th minute when Farrelly kicked over two fantastic points in quick succession.
Kildare got their first score of the second half and their first since the eighth minute when Alannah Prizeman fired over a free but Duggan was on target again with her second point from play to restore her side's four-point lead.
Prizeman kicked over a late free for Kildare but Meath held on for the win.
Kildare: M Hulgraine; L Shaw, S Sargent, M Doherty; M Aspel, L Murtagh, L Lenehan; C Wheeler, R Byrne (0-01); L Reilly, A Rattigan, M Ryan; E Dowling, A Prizeman (0-02, 0-02fs), L Curran (0-01).
Subs: C Sullivan for Ryan (ht), L McGovern for Dowling (52), G Wheeler for C Wheeler (54), C Moran for Rattigan (57), A Mahon for Curran (60).
Meath: R Murray; A Sheridan, M.K. Lynch, K Newe; A Cleary (capt.), S Wall, K Kealy; O Sheehy, M Farrelly (0-02); M Thynne, N Gallogly, C Smyth; E Duggan (0-05, 0-02fs), V Wall, K Cole.
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