Lidl Ladies National League Division 2 – Round 2
Kerry 0.15 – Waterford 2.09
By Paul Murphy
February 10th 2019
Both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils after a highly entertaining game in Strand Road. Kerry started brightly with Miriam O’Keeffe pointing inside the first minute. Waterford’s Liz Devine quickly replied for the visitors. With the rain arriving at the start of the game it made for a greasy ball & surface but this didn’t stop Kerry from driving forward at every available opportunity. The home side were playing more direct from the get go with the forwards showing for it at every available opportunity. Fossa’s Erica McGlynn scored two points inside the first five minutes to give Kerry an early lead 0-03 to Waterford’s 0-01. Waterford’s Eimear Fennell had the deficit down to a one score game, but Kerry were to go on a scoring spree with four unanswered points. Kerry’s defensive unit holding firm with Aislinn Desmond in the thick of the action. Miriam O’Keeffe was to be the chief tormenter for the Waterford defenders scoring three points, two from frees and one from play. Kerry captain Amanda Brosnan added her name to the score sheet with a brace of points one from a free and play. By the sixteenth minute the score read Kerry 0-08 Waterford 0-02. The score line at this stage reflecting Kerry’s dominance in every aspect of the game. The changes in the Kerry defence from the opening round draw with Clare were paying dividends in the early exchanges of the game. Maria Delahunty opened her account in the eighteen minute from a free before Niamh Carmody replied in the twentieth minute for the home side. Kerry were guilty of some missed opportunities in the final quarter of the first half. These opportunities if they had gone over would have given them a sizeable lead going in at half time and given Waterford a mountain to climb. They also had two goal chances end up in the back of the net but on each occasion they were ruled out for a square ball infringement. It was however the away side who finished the half stronger with Eimear Fennell scoring her second point of the half and a somewhat fortuitous goal at the end of the first half allowed Waterford to go in at the break just two points down. A deficit they would happily have taken considering Kerry’s dominance of the half. The halftime score-line read Kerry 0-09 Waterford 1-04.
Kerry made two substitutions at the start of the second half. Sophie Lynch and Niamh Carmody making way for Siobhan Burns and Anna O’Reilly. Kerry’s Miriam O’Keeffe was the first to raise the white flag in the second half, her fifth of the afternoon from a free. Waterford soon replied with a point from Kelly Ann Hogan and the lead was again back to two-point. Both sides were guilty of squandering further opportunities before two points from Kerry’s Erica McGlynn and Emma Dineen’s first of the afternoon increased Kerry’s lead to a two-score game. Midway through the second half Maria Delahunty pointed her second of the afternoon from a free to reduce the deficit. The home side had a chance to increase the lead but Lorraine Scanlon pulled her attempted free wide. Things were about to get a whole lot tougher for Kerry. Substitute Siobhan Burns was sin binned with eleven minutes left on the clock. Waterford were first to react to this, Maria Delahunty sniped her third point of the afternoon from a dead ball to reduce the deficit to two points. The home side regrouped, Lorraine Scanlon landed a free in the twenty first minute having missed one earlier from a similar position. Waterford quickly replied soon after to reduce the deficit to two. Erica McGlynn got her fourth of the afternoon to increase Kerry’s lead to three with five minutes left on the clock. Waterford were not done yet, up popped Aileen Wall to score a great goal with a bare two minutes left on the clock to draw the sides level. Maria Delahunty added her fourth free deep in injury time to give the away side a one point lead with little time remaining. Waterford Carragh McCarthy received her marching orders to the sin bin as Waterford frantically defended their advantage.
Credit to Kerry for showing compose and intelligence with little time remaining to engineer one more scoring chance. Beaufort’s Hannagh O’Donoghue duely obliged with ascore that barely crept over the crossbar to send both sides home with a share of the spoils. Final Score Kerry 0-15 Waterford 2-09.
Kerry Team & Scorers: R White, C O’Brien, A Desmond, E Lynch, S Lynch, A O’Connell, K Cronin, L Scanlon (0-1f), A Brosnan (0-2 1f) (C), E Dineen (0-1), C Murphy, N Carmody (0-1), M O’Keeffe (0-5 3f), E McGlynn (0-4), H O’Donoghue (0-1) Subs: A O’Reilly for S Lynch, S Burns for N Carmody both half time. A O’Callaghan for M O’Keeffe 50min,
Waterford Team & Scorers: K Moroney, C McCarthy, K McGrath (C), R Casey, K McGrath, E Gildea, T Kiely, E Murray, K A Hogan (0-1), A Wall (1-0), M Delahunty (0-4f), C Fennell, E Fennell (0-2 1f), M Ryan, L Devine (0-1), S Dunphy (0-1) (1-0 Kerry own goal) Subs: K Hayes for E Gildea, L McGregor for E Fennell.
Referee: (N McCormack)
Venue: Kerins O’Rahillys, Tralee, Co. Kerry
