Galway WFC head to Dublin on Saturday for their Women’s National League fixture away to Bohemians on Saturday (2pm ) after earning their first points of the season last weekend.
When the Women’s National League campaign finally got underway last Saturday evening, Galway and visitors DLR Waves played out a 1-1 draw. The home side had taken the lead midway through the first half through Aoife Thompson before DLR’s Katie Malone struck the equaliser in the 64th minute.
Alongside debutantes Amanda Budden and Jamie Turrentine was Savannah McCarthy who has returned to Galway following stints with Glasgow City and Cork City.
Galway’s superb league and cup double winning U17 side from last season was well represented too, with Therese Kinnevey and Shauna Brennan making their WNL debuts on Saturday.
Thompson scored nine times in the league last year, and she opened her account for the season in the 25th minute. A long-range free-kick by Fox was struck perfectly into the striker’s path inside the box for the tap in past Turner.
Minutes later Sinead Donovan was unlucky not to double the lead after stripping the ball from Oleta Griffin, but the midfielder’s shot streaked by the goal, only avoiding the back of the net by mere inches.
Budden was called into action for the first time after the half hour mark when a curling effort from Catherine Cronin bounced in the box, forcing the goalkeeper to smother the ball.
There was danger for the home side in the 61st minute after a Niamh Prior free-kick cannoned off the crossbar and, after a failed clearance, it fell to Nadine Clare in front of goal, but the midfielder shot wide.
However, DLR got their equaliser in the 64th minute when an excellent long ball from Griffin deep in DLR’s half reached Katie Malone on the edge of the Galway box. Budden was caught off her line and the forward lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net.
The visitors almost snatched the three points after a dangerous cross from Prior found Malone in the box, who then dinked the ball to substitute Avril Brierley. Brierley struck a blistering shot at goal, but Budden made a great save to deny the visitors in the 86th minute.
Galway too came inches away from taking the win from a McKey free-kick in injury time which caused havoc in the DLR box until McCarthy got her head to the ball and nodded narrowly wide of the goal.
Galway WFC: Amanda Budden, Shauna Brennan, Shauna Fox, Keara Cormican (C ), Aoife Thompson, Lynsey McKey, Sinead Donovan, Jaime Turrentine, Savannah McCarthy, Therese Kinnevey, Tessa Mullins. Subs Aoife Walsh, Chloe Singleton, Kelsey Munroe, Aoife Lynagh, Aislinn Meaney, Lucia Lobato, Abbie Ronayne.
