Dungloe come from seven points down against Ardara to win the Intermediate crown

Never did we see a game of two halves more with Dungloe coming from 0-9 to 0-2 at half-time to keep Ardara scoreless for the entirety of the second half to clinch the Intermediate championship with a two-point win in O’Donnell Park. 

Tony Boyle’s side were worthy winners on the day with substitute and U-15 player Mia O’Donnell being brought off from the bench to put in an inspirational performance, scoring 1-3 in 20 minutes with the Dungloe side winning on a 1-8 to 0-9 scoreline. 

Ardara started the better of the two teams in the opening quarter, with the nerves seeming to get the better of Dungloe, with the Rosses side failing to break down their opposition’s defensive structure. 

Frees from Carol Breslin and Mia Bennett put Ardara into a comfortable lead with Katie Wallace scoring Dungloe’s sole point from a free in the opening 22 minutes with great applause going towards Ardara’s defense and discipline. 

Martin Bennett’s ladies had the better of Dungloe’s kickouts winning three in a row resulting in Breslin and Bennett to land another two points.  

Breslin was unfortunate to hit the net after Jessica Gallagher won the opposition’s kickout, darted through Dungloe’s backline and squared it to her corner-forward, only for the Ardara number 13 to sky over the bar, despite having the goalkeeper beaten.  

Jade Gallagher would win the next Dungloe kickout and play it to the running Jessica Gallagher who opted for the point, firing over from distance after creating space for herself. 

Despite Dungloe’s best efforts, they couldn’t find space to shoot in the Ardara half, with the girls in green and gold smothering the Rosses side and forcing them to make mistakes and punish them on the counter.  

Ava Caulfield would find Dungloe’s second point on 22 minutes and nearly raised a green flag moments later when she linked up well with Ulitah Boyle to find an opening in Ardara’s backline but nailed the ball directly at goalkeeper Emily Whittington before Bennett hit her fourth point of the afternoon from distance leaving it 0-9 to 0-2 at the break in favour of Ardara. 

Dungloe almost opened their second half with a goal, but again Whittington was there to stop Emma Wallace’s shot which was kicked low at her knees after Patrice Boyle fed her half-forward teammate through following a long ball in from Elisha Boyle. 

It would take eight minutes for either side to register a score in the second half, with Caulfield finding her second point when capitalising from an Ardara turnover. 

Dungloe would eventually find their purple patch, with substitute Mia O’Donnell firing it over the head of the Ardara goalkeeper into the roof of the net after Caulfield broke her way past three defenders to lay it back to O’Donnell to raise a green flag making it a three-point game. 

Two further scores from Dungloe made it a one-point game, first with O’Donnell landing a free while Caulfield followed with her third point of the day, kicking over from close range under serious pressure. 

O’Donnell stamped her authority further in the game when she leveled the match on 52 minutes before Rhianna McCready put her side in front three minutes later when kicking over from a free off her right to make it 1-7 to 0-9 points. 

Ardara was dealt a further blow when Jessica Gallagher was sin-binned with five minutes remaining while Tony Boyle’s Dungloe began to completely control the game with the Rosses club moving the ball quickly and much smother, while Ardara were chasing shadows.  

With Ardara being kept scoreless for the entirety of the second half Dungloe were worthy winners on the day with O’Donnell hitting another point to make it a two-point win while Ardara finished with 13 players with Bennett receiving a sin-bin late on to end the game 1-7 to 0-9 in favour of Dungloe. 

Dungloe scorers:Mia O’Donnell 1-3, 1f; Ava Caulfield 0-3; Katie Wallace 1f and Rhianna McCready 1f, 0-1 each.
Ardara scorers: Mia Bennett 0-4, 4fs; Carol Breslin 0-4, 2fs; Jessica Gallagher 0-1.  

Dungloe: Ellie McGarvey; Justine Boyle, Ellie Ward, Laura Doherty; Aoife McGee, Sara O’Boyle, Elisha Boyle; Cora Wallace, Ava Caulfield; Katie Wallace, Bridin Walsh, Emma Wallace; Ulitah Boyle, Patrice Boyle, Rhianna McCready. Mia O’Donnell for Emma Wallace (39); Toni Boyle for Justine Boyle (41); Nicole Bonner Gillespie for Doherty (43); Jasmine Gallagher for Katie Wallace (58) 

Ardara: Emily Whittington; Caoimhe Earley, Rionach Doherty, Grace Watters; Caitlin Sweeney, Holly Gallagher, Kayla McHugh; Aoife Watters, Molly Gallagher; Sarah Harkin, Jessica Gallagher, Jade Gallagher; Carol Breslin, Mia Bennett, Niamh Boyle. Subs: Lara Sweeney for Watters (39); Orla McGinley for Jade Gallagher (51) 

Referee: Clint Marron (Urris)