Sarsfields 7-13 Timahoe 2-11
Laois Ladies SFC Quarter Final
Sarsfields have booked their spot in the semi-finals after a comprehensive win over Timahoe in Mountmellick GAA on Sunday evening.
Mo Nerney opened the scoring from a placed ball while Clare Conlon replied in a similar manner down the other end.
Nerney pointed a second free while Lilly Hooney lobbed Roisin Dowling to raise the game’s first green flag.
In reply, Lauren Kearney went on a super run and buried the ball to the back of the net while Conlon added a second point.
Keelin Moore struck a fine score between the posts for Timahoe, but Sarsfields attacked with pace once again.
However, this time Aoibhe Brennan denied Kearney. Aoibhe Foyle pointed for the first time with Nerney replying for Timahoe.
Conlon pointed her third and Kearney stepped up to raise a second green flag for her side.
Ava Dempsey pointed Timahoe’s final score of the half and Sarsfields took over for the remaining 10 minutes, putting a further 2-3 past the Timahoe defence.
Foyle took on her player and fired past Brennan, with Kearney adding a point to her previous goals. Rachel Williams pointed, which was quickly followed by a super run from Emer Conroy, who found Conlon for their fourth goal.
Conroy pointed the final score of the half, pushing her side’s half-time lead to 11 points (4-7 to 1-5).
Foyle pointed from play to get the second half underway, while only minutes later Kearney earned her hat-trick.
Conroy added to her first-half score, but Timahoe hit a purple patch for the next 10 minutes, pointing five in a row.
Moore and Nerney raised white flags while a Donoghue shot bounced off a wall of Sarsfields players minding their goal.
A dropping shot from Moore was saved over the bar by Dowling and Donoghue added to free, but that was the end of Timahoe’s patch as Sarsfields responded in the best possible manner as Foyle set up Conlon for a sixth goal.
Timahoe did manage to get a consolation goal when Moore snuck the ball past Dowling, but Sarsfields kept up their attacking threat as Conlon pointed three scores along with a point from Kearney.
The game fizzled out for the last few minutes as Sarsfields ended the game with 14 players.
Sarah Hibbitts was shown a yellow card for her third tick in Robbie Moran’s book.
Nerney pointed a free to end Timahoe’s scoring before Kearney raced away late on to smash the ball into the Timahoe net to round off a superb performance.
SCORERS – Sarsfields: Lauren Kearney 4-2, Claire Conlon 2-6 (0-3 frees), Aoibhe Foyle 1-2, Emer Conroy 0-2, Rachel Williams 0-1. Timahoe: Mo Nerney 0-6 (0-4 frees), Keelin Moore 1-3, Lilly Hooney 1-0, Katie Donoghue (free) and Ava Dempsey 0-1 each.
SARSFIELDS: Roisin Dowling; Sarah Hibbitts, Aoife Hughes, Ava Lawlor; Emer Conroy, Rachel Williams, Grainne Lalor; Becky Williams, Laura Marie Maher; Caoimhe Maher, Lauren Kearney, Aerin Ryle; Aoibhe Foyle, Clare Conlon, Meaghan Dunne.
Subs: Nicole Matthews for C. Maher (Temp sub 31-HT), Julie Ann Bennett for Lalor (54), Nicole Matthews for C Maher and Emma Delaney for Ryle (58), Jane Hyland for Maher (59).
TIMAHOE: Aoibhe Brennan; Niamh Kehoe, Jenny Murphy, Anna Murphy; Lilly Hooney, Aoife Gorman, Heather Bennett; Sarah Larkin, Keira Gorman; Sinead Goode, Katie Donoghue, Ava Dempsey; Mo Nerney, Aishling Quigley, Keelin Moore. Subs: Holly McCarthy for A Murphy and Karen Doyle for Goode (Both 54), Anna Murphy for Dempsey (61, inj)
REFEREE: Robbie Moran (Graiguecullen)
SEE ALSO – Laois Ladies SFC: Conleth’s prevail in battle of the Saints to progress to semi finals
