All-Ireland Junior A PPS Final: Moate withstand Ursuline fightback
March 20, 2025
oate CS joint captains Erin O'Faolain, left, and Aine Bracken lift the cup as their team-mates celebrate after the Lidl LGFA PPS All-Ireland Junior A final match between Moate CS of Westmeath and Ursuline SS of Thurles, Tipperary at Glenisk O'Connor Park in Tullamore, Offaly.
Moate CS (Westmeath) 6-6 Ursuline SS, Thurles (Tipperary) 4-9
By Deniese O’Flaherty
Moate CS claimed the Lidl All-Ireland Post-Primary Schools Junior A title with a hard fought win over Ursuline SS Thurles at Glenisk O’Connor Park in Tullamore.
The game appeared to be beyond the Thurles school in the 26th minute when Moate extended their lead to 17 points but they produced a magnificent second half and just came up short in the end.
Chloe Malone and Melanie Flannery (free) exchanged points early on before Moate took a hold of the game. Karrissa Burns, Malone and Alex Kelly fired over points before Burns found the back of the net from close range.
Alex Kelly followed up with a second goal for Moate in the 12th minute. A fine move involving Kelly and Anna Ryan ended with Malone firing an excellent strike past Stella Carr in the Ursuline goal.
Barely one minute later Moate got a fourth goal through Anna Ryan. They didn’t relent with Kelly and Malone adding further points to extend the lead to 17 points after 26 minutes of play.
Ursuline had struggled to get scores. In the 28th minute Moate’s Sophie Madden was sin-binned for a foul on Alice Butler. With numerical advantage Flannery kicked over another free and then in the 29th minute Butler raised a green flag for the Tipperary school as they trailed 4-6 to 1-2 at the break.
Six minutes into the second half Ursuline got their second goal when Flannery decided to fire to the net from a free. The lead was six points in the 42nd minute when Sophie Moynihan twisted and turned before shooting to the net.
The momentum was now with the Thurles school and they cut the deficit to just four points in the 46th minute. After over 21 minutes without a score Moate scored their fifth goal in the 47th minute; Ryan with her second of the game.
Credit to Ursuline they never gave up but were dealt a blow in the 58th minute when Heather Touhey set Ryan up for her third goal and Moate’s sixth of the game.
The drama didn’t end there and the lead was just three points entering stoppage time with another goal from Butler and a pointed Flannery free.
Right at the end Ursuline were awarded a free, Moate filled the goal line and Flannery’s free was blocked on the line.
Scorers - Moate CS: A Ryan 3-0, C Malone 1-3, A Kelly 1-2, K Burns 1-1
Ursuline SS: M Flannery 1-7 (7fs), A Butler 2-0, S Moynihan 1-0, A O’Connor, C Fitzgerald 0-1 eaach
MOATE CS: L Daly; H Pratlett, N Trainor, M Loddick; L Martin, A Bracken, S Padden; E O’Faolain, C Malone; A Ryan, H Murray, L Allen; K Burns, A Kelly, H Touhey. Subs: R Foley for Loddick (50), G Galvin for Burns, L Jones for Touhey (both 60+5)
URSULINE SS: S Carr; R Maher, Z Cosgrove, L Ryan; B Woodlock, R O’Brien, O Pamplin; A O’Connor, C Fitzgerald; A Butler, M Flannery, J Shanahan; A Geoghegan, S Moynihan, E McGrath. Subs: L O’Connell for Maher (50), R King for Geoghegan (60+1), A Brophy for Shanahan (60+3)
Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo).
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