Kildare beaten by All-Ireland champions
Neasa Dooley shoots for a point
All-Ireland champions Kerry proved too hot for Kildare to handle in Fitzpatrick Stadium in Killarney today as they recorded a 2-10 to 0-7 win.
Pat Sullivan's team travelled in high spirits, hoping to build on last week's superb win over Leinster champions Dublin but found the Kingdom an altogether more difficult task. And yet, Kildare were far from disgraced and it was only when Siofra O'Shea scored the second goal of the game in the 38th minute that Kerry began to pull away.
O'Shea and Danielle O'Leary combined for 2-7 of Kerry's tally and their quality posed problems throughout.
O'Leary had scored Kerry's opening goal in the tenth minute but Kildare proved to their own worst enemy in the first half with a number of wides hampering their chances of gaining a foothold in the game.
Neasa Dooley was the exception to that and she opened Kildare's account in the 19th minute, and scored their second point too. Lara Curran scored the last point of the half as the teams went to the dressing room with O'Leary's strike between them, 1-3 to 0-3.
By the time of O'Shea's goal, Kerry led 2-6 to 0-4 and they were well in charge after that.
Dooley did manage to bring her tally to five points before the end, four from play, but there was no denying that Kerry were the better side on the day as Kildare got a close up view of the standard they strive to reach.
After three tough games in consecutive weeks, Kildare will take the opportunity to recover and recharge the batteries but the difficult challenges keep coming and their next game is away to Meath on 23 February.
Mary Ellen Bolger; Eilis Lynch, Deirdre Kearney, Roisin Rahilly; Kayleigh Cronin, Caoimhe Evans 0-1, Ciara McCarthy; Aoife Dillane, Mary O’Connell 0-1; Leah Boyle, Niamh Carmody, Anna Galvin; Jadyn Lucey, Siofra O’Shea 1-5 (0-4f), Danielle O’Leary 1-3. Subs: Niamh Ní Chonchuir for Boyle (28), Rachel Dwyer for Lucey (44), Julia Curtin for O’Leary (55), Niamh Broderick for Carmody (55), Niamh Quinn for Evans (57), Kayla O’Connor for Rahilly (60).
Mary Hulgraine; Ruth Sargent, Lauren Murtagh, Emma Wheeler; Mia Doherty, Laoise Lenehan, Molly Aspell; Claire Sullivan, Lara Curran 0-1; Ciara Moran, Gillian Wheeler, Lisa Shaw; Neasa Dooley 0-5 (1f), Leah McGovern, Roisin Byrne 0-1 (f). Subs: Ellen Dowling for McGovern (39), Siofra Galvin for Curran (44), Leah Doran for Shaw (44), Erin Brereton Foley for Wheeler (48), Zoe Brierty for Sullivan (57), Ellie O’Toole for Moran (60).
Shane Curley (Galway).
