Carrick V Mooncoin was the u16 cup semi final fixture ,,, and with teams that finished joint second on the league table , it was always going to be a battle .

Both teams went at this game with the prize of a Cup final at the forefront of their minds .

Mooncoin put it up to Carrick . Our previous meeting had been a one way affair , and our girl made sure that , that wasn’t the case again last night .

Carrick pressed from the beginning and our defence worked very hard to keep them at bay . Mooncoin pressed equally and saw a chance to score come and go .

Carrick took the lead mid way through the half , but Mooncoin battled and stuck together and brought it to the break still at 1-0 .

The second half was just as epic as the first half. It was end to end stuff . With Carrick scoring their second goal on the mid way mark of the second half . That goal ultimately putting the game beyond our reach .

Carrick move on to a Cup final, and last nights game brought the curtains down on what has been a fantastic season for this u16 Mooncoin Team .

This match was a credit to both teams with some excellent football on display throughout. Park Rangers, who had won 5 and drawn 2 of their previous 7 matches, took the lead in the first half.

Mooncoin regrouped and pushed hard for an equaliser which eventually came before halftime direct from a corner by Saoirse Mackey. Mooncoin dominated the second half with wave after wave of attacks which were defended resolutely by Park.

Park Rangers grabbed a lead very much against the run of play from an excellent corner which was finished off from close in. Lexi subsequently fired home an excellent goal to bring the game level. We continued to dominate and play some excellent football but a winner was not forthcoming.

The Park Rangers keeper was by far the busier and pulled off some excellent saves to keep her team in it.

The match ended tied at 2-2 and a further 20 minutes of extra time could not break the deadlock.

Penalties loomed but the girls had confidence in Hannah in goal and the penalty practice in recent weeks paid off when Anna Reddy scored the first penalty, followed by Hannah saving 3 and scoring 1, which resulted in a 2-1 win to us. This was a real team effort from all of the girls.

U12 boys lost 4-1 away to Stradbally in the quarter final of the cup this evening,

Stradbally were clinical with their chances in the first half and were 2 nil up at half time. They then scored an unstoppable goal which you just had to admire and applaud.

We scored a good goal next with Ethan Owens heading home from Robbie Sutton’s cross.

We had some momentum and pushed hard for the next goal but we got caught out at the back.

The scoreline of 4-1 did not reflect the effort the lads put in throughout. Best of luck to Stradbally in the semi-final.

We met League Champions Ballinroad in the much anticipated cup final. Mooncoin put Ballinroad under a lot of pressure in the first half and had enough chances to take the game. But it was Ballinroad who took a 1-0 lead into half time after a shot from distance took a wild deflection and spun in off the post.

2 sloppy early second half goals put the game well into Ballinroad’s favour. As Mooncoin pushed for a lifeline in the game it was Ballinroad who struck on the counter attack putting the game beyond us.

4-0 turned out to be the final score but not a true reflection on the game.
Congratulations to Ballinroad on an impressive league and cup double, showing they were the best team in the division all season.

The Mooncoin lads can hold their heads high and the future is bright for this great bunch.