Galway WFC sealed this season's U17 Só Hotels Women’s National League and Cup double after seeing off Wexford Youths in the league final at Eamonn Deacy Park by 3-1 on Saturday evening.
Although Blessing Kinsley took the lead for Wexford early in the second half, Galway fought back with three goals from Annie Gough, Kayla Brady and Aoibhin Donnelly to seal a notable victory and crown a superb season.
Both sides were evenly matched during the opening exchanges and it took until the 11th minute for the first clearcut chance when Saoirse Healey found Anna Fahey in the box with a lovely through ball. However, Jean Doyle-Kavanagh was able to block the shot down to keep the sides level, while Shauna Brennan but dragged a shot wide to kill the play.
Galway continued to dominant. Fahey went close once again in the 19th minute after receiving the ball from Shauna Brennan, but the striker’s snap shot was blocked by Doyle-Kavanagh for the second time. And in the 36th minute Galway could have taken the lead after Brady played a long ball into Kellie Brennan. The winger held the ball well before playing it out wide to Shauna Brennan who again set Fahey up with a great cross, but the striker failed to capitalise on the chance and Doyle-Kavanagh gathered the ball.
Doyle-Kavanagh kept the sides level going into the second half after Galway fashioned another chance after Shauna Brennan won a free just outside the box. Although Annie Gough struck an excellent ball high into the box, the goalkeeper just managed to slap it away from goal.
Eventually, however, the deadlock was broken in the 47th minute and it came against the run of play. Therese Kinnevey collected the ball just outside the box but her attempted pass towards goal found Blessing Kinsley who struck the ball around Abbie Ronayne who was off her line.
All Galway
That lead only lasted three minutes with Galway scoring a goal directly from a corner kick. Annie Gough who struck the ball in high, and Doyle-Kavanagh could not leap high enough as the ball escaped her grasp and curled into the net.
Thereafter it was all Galway. Kelsey Munroe started the move with a great run from the back that led to goal number two, and eventually Brady took advantage of an exposed goalmouth to smash the ball into the bottom corner.
Second-half substitute Abbie Callanan nearly killed off the game for Galway in the 76th minute with a blistering shot after a Saoirse Healey cross, but Doyle-Kavanagh was did well to keep the deficit at one.
However, when Shauna Brennan took the ball into the box, Aoibhin Donnelly sealed the victory when she smashed the ball into the top corner.
Galway Women's U17 squad: Abbie Ronayne, Kelsey Munroe, Therese Kinnevey, Saoirse Healy, Jane Trehy, Kayla Brady (cpt ), Anna Fahey, Annie Gough, Shauna Brennan, Kate Slevin, Kellie Brennan, Hannah Walsh, Hana Ueno, Ciara McManus, Emma O'Donoghue, Abbie Callanan, Aoibhin Donnelly, Bryna Milton, Allanah McNeill. Galway Women's U17 coaching staff: Head coach, Phill Tril; coach, Emer Flatley; goalkeeping coach, Gabriel Darcy; analyst, Rory Rafferty.
