Match Report: Saturday 16th November v Sullivan
By Ballyclare High School on 20 November, 2019
The 2AXI began their match with a good level of intensity and put early pressure on the Sullivan goal, a shot from Jen Lamont heading just wide of the goal. Ballyclare secured the lead before half time with a nicely worked move which Leah Wilson pushed into the net to finish. Adding a second half penalty corner rebound from Leah Baird led to a 2-0 win overall, with named player of the match.
The 2BXI game against Sullivan was a Gibson Cup group stage game, which they were unfortunate to lose 3-2. The first quarter came to a close at 0-0; however, although Ballyclare had a much stronger second quarter, Sullivan managed to steal the ball from a defensive hit out and a powerful strike from the top of the circle saw them lead 1-0. Undeterred, Ballyclare maintained their positive form and continued to put pressure on the Sullivan defence until Jade Allison’s shot was deflected into the path of Katie King, who slotted it past the keeper to make it 1-1 at half time.
Despite further Ballyclare pressure in the third quarter, the score remained 1-1 going into the final phase of the match. Jade Allison made it 2-1 to Ballyclare from a nicely worked penalty corner, but Sullivan responded well and scored to make it 2-2. With five minutes remaining, both teams were desperate for the decisive goal. Sullivan won a short corner which they struck well from the top of the circle and put it in the back of the net to leave the final score a 3-2 loss for Ballyclare. Kelsey Smyth was player of the match.
A second cup match was also underway for the 3rdXI against Wallace High School on Saturday. A very evenly pitched match saw the final score at 0-0, and so the result had to be decided by penalty runs. With Emily Alcorn, Holly Conn, Ellen White, Lara Norwood and Rachel Neill stepping forward, Ballyclare not only put their runs in the back of the net but player of the match Grace Marks also performed admirably in the Ballyclare goal to ensure a final result of 3-1 on penalty runs. A fabulous result and the girls now progress on to the next stage of the cup.
The U14A team recorded a convincing 3-0 win against tough opposition, but it was a resounding 7-1 win for the U14B team this Saturday, with two first half goals apiece for Anna Wylie and Mollie McDowell seeing Ballyclare go into the break already 4-0 up. Mollie soon recorded her hat trick in the first couple of minutes of the second half, before Sullivan pulled a goal back to make it 5-1. Soon, however, Ballyclare had netted again thanks to Katie Butler, shortly followed by a fourth for Mollie McDowell. Anna Wylie and Mollie McDowell were joint player of the match for their dominant forward play.
After a Sullivan pass-back, the Ballyclare U13A team soon reclaimed the ball with a tackle from Evie McCullagh and, with a swift pass out to Rebecca Smyth, the team drove forward into the circle where Rebecca’s strike was tapped in from close range by Katie Graham – a well-worked first goal. A second goal soon followed from a short corner; a rebound from Cally McWhirter’s strike slotted home by player of the match Katie Graham to make it 2-0. Grace McAllister added her name to the score-sheet with a clean push into the goal for Ballyclare’s third.
In a dominant second half, two more goals by Grace Cowden and Grace McAllister increased the tally to five, resulting in an emphatic win. Throughout the match the Ballyclare defence were solid, offering Sullivan very little opportunity for even a shot on goal.
It was a very tough match for the U13B team, but they emerged with a 1-0 win thanks to a great goal from player of the match, Evie Moore. The Ballyclare defence had to work hard to defend some Sullivan short corners, which they did skillfully. A hard fought win all round.
