After an opening day defeat, Greenfields Hockey Club returned to winning ways in Dangan on Sunday when they completely dominated this second round league game against a stubborn Sligo side.
Greenfields dominated play throughout the first half with Gillian Heavy directing matters from midfield and Sarah McDonnell controlling any Sligo threat from the back.
However, as is often the case when a team is dominating, the opposition’s goalkeeper plays the proverbial blinder. And so it was on Sunday when Sligo’s Laura Doyle brought off a series of top-class saves during the first half. Shots from Gillian Healy, Alma Whelan and Mary Healy were in turn cleared off the line by Doyle, ensuring a scoreless first half.
The second half started as the first half ended, but Greenfields became a bit frustrated with the stubbornness of the Sligo defence and their own failure to score. However the deadlock was broken in the 10th minute of the second half when Ailbhe Finnerty carried the ball from midfield, laid a pass along the left to Mary Healy before Alma Whelan finished superbly.
Although the game was held up for some time when Alison Ryan sustained an injury, it did not upset Greenfields’ momentum. They extended their lead when Neasa McGettigan scored from an excellent reverse shot from the top of the circle in open play. Captain Alma Whelan added her second and her team’s third when she was on hand to strike in the rebound after a wonderful shot from Mary Healy. Then just before the finish Ailbhe Finnerty added a fourth with a powerful shot into the left hand corner after a great solo run up the left side of the pitch.
