Cliftonville and Glentoran reach League Cup final
Cliftonville and Glentoran will face off for the NIFL Women's League Cup final on 29 June after winning their respective groups. Holders Cliftonville defeated Lisburn 3-0 to finish the group stages with three wins from three. Caitlin McGuinness scored a first-half double for the Reds at Solitude before former Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan secured the win. They will face Glentoran in the decider, who won Group B with a perfect record with a 5-1 win over Crusaders Strikers. Demi Vance and Kascie Weir netted first-half goals for the Glens, while Aimee Kerr, Mia Moore, Emily Wilson and Nadene Caldwell were on target after the restart.Elsewhere, Linfield hammered Derry City 9-0 to finish second in Group A behind Cliftonville. Keri Halliday, Mia Fitzsimmons and Eve Reilly all scored twice, while Alex Clarke, Charlotte Havern and Abi Sweetlove also netted for the Blues. Gracie Conway scored four goals as Lisburn Rangers defeated Larne 5-0 in Group B for their first victory of the competition at Crewe Park.
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Glentoran scored four goals without reply against Derry City Women at the Blanchflower Stadium to move back to the top of the Women's Premiership table, above Crusaders on goal were also wins for Cliftonville, Linfield and Lisburn Rangers on Friday Rogan broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark in Glentoran's 4-0 win, with the hosts' lead being doubled soon after when the unfortunate Kaci Deery turned the ball into her own net whilst sliding in to attempt to turn Mia Moore's cross behind for a Foy added to the home team's advantage early in the second half from inside the six-yard box after connecting with Nadene Caldwell's left-sided cross, then on the hour, Rogan bagged her second of the evening from Aimee Kerr's delivery into the Caitlin McGuinness goals midway through the second half saw Cliftonville get the better of Lisburn Ladies 2-0 at the Bluebell at the break, the Reds came closest to seizing the advantage when Naomi McLaughlin's inswinging effort came back off the far goalscoring began on 67 minutes, however, when McGuinness connected with Abbie Magee's low cross to beat Zara Maguire with a composed three minutes after that, McGuinness found the net again after breaking clear of the defence to fire past the onrushing Reilly hit four goals as Linfield swept to a comprehensive 9-1 defeat of Larne Women at Inver Blues moved in front as early as the third minute when Rhianna Breen knocked the ball over the head of the home keeper after a mistake at the Doherty added a second after a quarter-of-an-hour with a powerful 25-yard left-foot strike into the top corner before Mia Fitzsimmons made it 3-0 with a 28th minute header from Charlotte Havern's opened her account soon after when she chased down a ball over the top to take it around the keeper and into the continued the scoring soon after with a free-kick on the right edge of the area into the top corner, with Reilly doubling her tally just before the Johnston pulled one back for Larne on 72 minutes with a chip over the visiting keeper, but goals in the final 10 minutes from Alexandra Clarke and another couple from Reilly saw Linfield run out comfortable from Faye Loughran and Caoimhe Gelston Mulholland helped Lisburn Rangers to a 2-0 victory over Crusaders Strikers at Crues went into the game on top of the table, but came up against a Rangers side on a high from victory over Shamrock Rovers in the All Island Cup last broke the deadlock for the visitors with just over half-an-hour on the clock before, three minutes from the break, Gelston Mulholland Rangers' advantage from the spot.
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Young Irish League talent should be inspired by Ronan Hale's journey, says Gerard Lyttle
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