Treacy hits first half hat-trick as Kildare see off Dubs to lift U16 Leinster title
Kildare celebrate their brilliant win over Dublin in the Leinster LGFA U16A final Photo: Sean Brilly
Stephen Leonard A dominant first-half performance that featured a hat-trick of goals for Aoife Treacy set the stage for Kildare’s convincing victory over Dublin in Monday’s Leinster LGFA Under 16A Championship Final in Johnstownbridge.
Kildare turned the screw on their opponents right from off, Issey Kelly, Ciara Dempsey and Sinead Shine all striking over before the latter latched on to Amy Wall's pass before rifling the ball to the top left corner of the net.
James Costello’s side had to wait just two more minutes before registering the second goal, Treacy despatching the first of her opening-half treble.
She carded her second just four minutes later when she slipped the ball under the goalkeeper, Laura Walsh before completing her hat-trick on 19 minutes when she struck to the far side of the net.
Kildare continued to keep the scoreboard ticking as Kelly, Wall, Shine and Aisling Nolan all split the posts to leave Kildare 4-8 to 0-0 up.
Dublin were struggling to make any meaningful incursion into the Kildare half, a shot from captain, Áine Mulligan that dropped short being the closest they came to opening their account throughout the initial 20 minutes.
But they were offered a ray of hope when Leyla Abkary produced a spectacular strike to the far corner of the net 21 minutes in, Aoibhín Malone following that up with a free soon after.
That served to close the gap slightly to 4-13 to 1-1 by the half-time break, but Dublin were left reeling again at the start of the second period, as Shine served up a delightful strike to the net just seconds after the restart.
Nolan went close to adding to that, but her effort cannoned back off the crossbar, before Treacy split the posts to leave Kildare with a massive 26-point cushion.
Credit to Dublin, they dug in, helped no end by the substitutes they introduced who brought more intensity to their forward play.
Abkary steered home a second goal for the Blues, while Líadh Gargan and Laura Casey both struck over after they were sprung from the bench, but even that contribution, along with three swift points from Malone failed to seriously threaten Kildare’s tight grip on this decider.
A Treacy (3-2), S Shine (2-3 (2f)), I Kelly (0-3), A Wall (0-2), S Shelley (0-2), C Dempsey (0-1), R Dooley (0-1), A Nolan (0-1).
L Abkary (2-1 (1f)), A Malone (0-4 (2f)), Líadh Gargan (0-1), L Casey (0-1).
Chloe Wright, Breffni Nolan, Grace Coburn, Gwyn Canavan, Rachel Dooley (C), Lauren Mooney, Issey Kelly, Sarah Shelley, Ciara Dempsey, Lily Harney, Aoife Treacy, Amy Wall, Sinead Shine, Aibigéal Corcoran, Aisling Nolan. SUBS: Orla O’Carroll for Treacy & Grace Gallagher for Nolan (both 54 mins), Alex Finn for Corcoran (57 mins), Isabelle Walsh for Kelly & Misha Magee for Shine (both 58 mins).
Laura Walsh, Caoimhe O’Donoghue, Emma Manning, Ellen Fitzgerald, Sophie Buckley, Maggie Foley, Eva Healy Dillon, Holly O’Neill, Addison Cahill, Isabelle Kilcommons, Leyla Abkary, Áine Mulligan (C), Aoibhín Malone, Tori Dempsey, Layla-Mai McNeill. SUBS: Líadh Gargan for O’Neill & Lucy Hanly for Healy Dillon (both HT), Julie Chauvire for Buckley & Laura Casey for Kilcommons (both 43 mins), Grace Wilson for Cahill (52 mins).
