Ulster heartbreak for Dungloe in Omagh as Lavey prevail

Dungloe’s Ulster championship dream ended in bitter disappointment with a heartbreaking one-point Ulster final defeat to Lavey in Healy Park on Sunday afternoon.

Lavey 2-11 Dungloe 1-13

 The Donegal champions dominated in Omagh for long spells but a number of spurned first-half goal chances as well as letting a five-point second-half lead slip will haunt the group.

On what was a big day for the Rosses club, they played some delightful and fast-flowing football that carved the Derry side open at stages in both halves. 

With Ava Caulfield and Saskia Boyle attacking from half-back, and Claire Diver and Cora Wallace doing well in the middle of the field as well as Patrice Boyle in form up front, the Dungloe looked a class apart at times in the second half.

But despite their dominance, they were forced to come from behind and go in level, 0-9 to 1-6, at half-time. 

Dungloe dominated the opening half hour in the possession stakes, playing a delightful brand of open football. But a tendency to take that one pass too many close to the Lavey goal saw them cough up a number of gilt-edged chances

Their six first-half wides to Lavey’s zero is a statistic that tells its own story. And they ended the game with 11 wides to Lavey’s one.

Dungloe, after conceding the opening point, raced into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead inside the opening ten minutes.

Caulfield, who was outstanding, got the Donegal girls up and running while the elusive Tara Geoghegan kicked the other two points.

But they were rocked shortly after when a 40m Carla Collins free deceived the Dungloe keeper, Ellie McGarvey, to just dip under the crossbar. 

That was 11 minutes into the game and from 0-1 to 0-3 down, the Derry champions were now in front, 1-1 to 0-3.

The goal gave oxygen to the Lavey challenge and while Dungloe responded to go two clear once again, Collins and Aoifie Shaw (2) edged the Derry girls into a 1-4 to 0-5 lead with under ten minutes remaining in the half. 

But Tony Boyle’s girls finished the half strong with points with Geoghegan, Caulfield and Saskia Boyle to send the teams in level at the half-time changeover. 

Dungloe again started the second-half on the front foot and while Shaw kicked the first point after the restart, Dungloe were soon back in front thanks to a Ulitah Boyle scrambled goal.

Dungloe were now back in front by two, 1-9 to 1-7, and in dominant mode again as they reeled three quick points to move five clear for the first time. 

But a second Lavey goal on the three-quarter mark, hammered to the back of the Dungloe net by Caitriona Toner, the Lavey captain, reeled the deficit back in.

Toner was the first to react when a Carla Collins free dropped short in the Dungloe goal area and Toner palmed to the back of the Dungloe.

Lavey were now just two behind and thanks to two quickfire points from Collins and Toner, the Derry girls edged back in front by one.

Dungloe did finish strongly and had a couple of chances for an equaliser while Claire Diver had a late chance for a goal but her effort was well saved by the Lavey keeper Niamh McKenna.

In the end, the Lavey girls hung in and hung on but this was definitely a game and an Ulster title Dungloe left behind them.  

Dungloe scorers: Tara Geoghegan 0-5,1f, Ulitah Boyle 1-0, Ava Caulfield, Ciara Diver, Elisha Boyle 0-2, each, Saskia Boyle, Katie Wallace 0-1, each

Lavey scorers; Carla Collins 1-5,1f, Aoife Shaw 0-5, 2f,  Caitriona Toner 1-1.

Dungloe; Ellie McGarvey; Ellie Ward, Sara O’Boyle, Sarah O’Donnell; Ava Caulfield, Saskia Boyle, Elisha Boyle; Cora Wallace, Claire Diver; Katie Wallace, Jasmine Gallagher, Bridin Walsh; Ulitah Boyle, Patrice Boyle, Tara Geoghegan.

Subs; Aoife McGee for J Gallagher (50).

Lavey: Niamh McKenna; Caitriona Diamond, Laura Scullion, Maria Mullholland; Anna Mulholland, Anna  Rafferty, Ciara Lynn; Sinead McGill, Maria Rafferty; Ellie Toner, Aoife Shaw, Caitriona Toner; Noleen McBride, Cara Collins, Shauneen Rafferty.

Subs; Brianna Kelly for Anna Mulolland (28); Aine Conway for Eillie Toner (45); Eimear Murphy for C Lynn (54); Niamh Conway for S Rafferty (58); Emma Collins for N McBride (60).  

 Referee: Cathy Deery (Monaghan).