Louth ladies defeated by four points with a late heartbreaker goal

For the second time in three games, Louth were left swallowing a bitter pill after a visiting team produced a late heartbreaker with a second goal to seal a four point defeat.

What had preceded this was a frenetic and intense second half, which saw Kit Henry’s side wrestle back supremacy, having trailed at the break.

Louth came out for the second half with a sense of urgency which was lacking earlier on, to lead by 1-9 to 0-7 with 10 minutes remaining.

However, the short kickout would once again prove to be Louth’s undoing, as Laoise Duffy picked up the loose ball to set up Natasha Ferris to ultimately to set the Mournesiders on their way to victory, scoring a further 1-3 without reply, as Louth reflected on what might been.

Early on, Louth showed traits of a team affected by their previous two defeats with the Reds struggling to make inroads into the attacking third, with many first half attacks breaking down with aimless kicking into the inside line and unable to cope with Down’s physicality.

The first period saw Kit Henry’s side turned over 17 times, with 9 of them coming from the foot pass.

At the other end, Down, whose backroom team include former county players Mark Poland and Kevin McKiernan, were purring.

With the lively Laoise Duffy, Natasha Ferris and Niamh King linking up expertly, and finding the range at will.

After Duffy had given the visitors the lead with the opening white flag, a flowing passage of play involving the two Duffy’s Orla and Laoise, and Niamh King, saw Louth keeper Rebecca Lambe Fagan produce a smart save from Natasha Ferris.

Niamh King would ultimately turn provider for Down’s next two scores from Ferris and Laoise Duffy, before the number 15 grabbed Down’s fourth score of the afternoon, as they led by 0-4 to 0-1 after 20 minutes, in a period which saw the visitors show patience in possession, having been forced to manage the game, after captain Meghan Doherty was sent to the sin bin for a challenge on Shannen McLaughlin after 6 minutes.

Having got Louth off the mark moments earlier, Lauren Boyle converted her second free to leave just two between the sides. Following another Ferris effort, a Ceire Nolan turnover saw Boyle set up her Cooley Kickhams colleague Niamh Rice who drilled over Louth’s third point via the cross bar.

Despite this late first half revival, Louth manager Kit Henry had seen enough, and sprung Ciara Woods and the returning Rebecca Carr from the bench to instil some attacking verve in the final third.

Facing into that club house end of Darver in the second half, Louth stepped up their intensity, and pressed up on Down.

The second period saw Louth force Down to cough up possession 18 times, with Aine Breen, Kate Flood, Niamh Rice, Aoife Halligan, and Shannen McLaughlin seeing more of the ball as a result.

Louth came alive, with Mia Duffy combining with Niamh Rice for Kate Flood to fire over the bar, before a close range Laura Collins free levelled things up at 0-5 each after 34 minutes. The industrious Ciara Woods, who certainly staked a claim for a starting berth going forward, winning the free kick.

Down stretched this lead once again to two points, with Niamh King continuing to give the Louth full back line a torrid time, as she set up Natasha Ferris to score from play, and team captain Meghan Doherty slapped the ball over the bar after following up an Aoife Laverty shot at the posts.

But Louth continued to take the game to Down, and a quick passage of play involving Aine Breen, Aoife Halligan, and Niamh Rice saw Down keeper Amy McGivern deny Laura Collins from close range.

Despite this, Louth did manage to breach the Down defence when a speculative point attempt from Niamh Rice found its way to the net, to give Louth the lead for the first time at 1-5 to 0-7 after 37 minutes.

This was quickly followed up by a well taken point from Mia Duffy, collecting an Aine Breen pass, in a move which began with an excellent kickout from Rebecca Lambe Fagan.

Some more intense tackling saw Louth turn Down over in their own half, and Ciara Woods teed up Niamh Rice to find the range.

Louth were ahead by three points, which quickly became a four point lead from a Rebecca Carr free.
Niamh Rice was on fire at this stage, and the DKIT student appeared to be driving Louth to a league ending victory, as they led by 1-9 to 0-7 after 50 minutes.

However, it soon went pear shaped for Kit Henry’s charges as that Rice effort proved the last score registered by Louth, with Down forcing the issue.

Moments after an Aisling Cull point, Laoise Duffy found range herself, before intercepting a short kickout, to bare down on goal, and passing it across to Natasha Ferris who palmed the ball to the net.
Louth’s lead was gone in a puff of smoke.

With both teams growing frantic, it was a test of who could keep their composure, and it was Down who had the answers, with the outstanding Ferris putting Down ahead to finish with a personal tally of 1-4.

Following a turnover, Laoise Duffy collected an Aoife Laverty pass to tee up sub Eimear Fitzpatrick to seal a four point victory; with the final nail in Louth’s coffin following this second major, in a final ten minutes which saw Aine Breen sin binned.

Louth: Rebecca Lambe Fagan; Eimear Murray, Caoimhe Boyle, Eilish Hand; Caitlin O’Reilly, Shannen McLaughlin, Ceire Nolan; Aoife Halligan, Aine Breen; Mia Duffy (0-1), Kate Flood (0-1), Lucy White; Lauren Boyle (0-2) (2f), Niamh Rice (1-3), Laura Collins (0-1) (1f).

Subs: Rebecca Carr (0-1) (1f) for Boyle (29), Ciara Woods for White (29), Aoife Russell for Collins (49), Katie Doheny for Hand (58).

Down: Amy McGivern; Paige Smyth, Ciara Byrne, Orla Boyle; Natalie McKibbin, Meghan Doherty (0-1), Aimee Greene; Aoife Laverty, Orla Duffy; Niamh Scullion, Vivienne McCormack, Aoife Keown; Laoise Duffy (0-3), Natasha Ferris (1-4) (1f), Niamh King (0-1).

Subs: Clara Mulvenna for Boyle (40), Eimear Fitzpatrick (1-0) for Scullion (47), Aisling Cull (0-1)for McCormack (50), Aimee O’Higgins for Duffy (64).

Referee: Philip Conway (Co Meath).