U12 Girls Div 1/Championship Cup Colemanstown vs. Athenry. Our U12 girls faced an incredibly tough challenge on Sunday morning as Athenry came to town & delivered a dominant performance from start to finish. Missing some key players, our young squad were up against it from the outset as Athenry wasted no time in asserting their control on the game. From the start, the visitors set the pace, showing great skill, physicality & teamwork. They moved the ball with precision, applied relentless pressure & took full advantage of any opportunities that came their way. Despite our girls’ best efforts to match their intensity, Athenry’s sharp attacking play & disciplined defending made it difficult for the Colemanstown girls to gain a foothold in the game. To their credit, our lassies never let their heads drop. They fought bravely throughout, showing great spirit & determination even as the scoreline became increasingly one-sided. There were moments of promise where we managed to put together some good passages of play, but Athenry’s well-organised defence made it difficult to break through. While this was undoubtedly one of the toughest tests our girls have faced all season, it also serves as an important learning experience. We have no doubt that our girls will take valuable lessons from this defeat. Their resilience & effort cannot be questioned & they will surely come back stronger in the remaining league games ahead. A huge thanks to all the parents & supporters who came out to cheer on the team. Tough days are part of the journey & we know this group & their mentors have the character to bounce back. Onwards and upwards!
U14 Girls Div1: Colemanstown 1 – 1 Merlin Woods. FC. This was an unexpected home tie for our Colemanstown U14 Girls due to an unplayable pitch in Merlin Woods home ground. Colemanstown, who started the day in second place in the first division, took on a Merlin Woods team who were in fifth place. However, from the start this was a very even contest with the early pressure coming from the visitors. This led to the opening goal after only 5 mins when a clever through ball from midfield saw the Merlin Woods forward beat the Colemanstown offside trap. Lucy Butler in goal stood little chance with a clever finish to the corner. 0-1 to Merlin Woods. Our girls responded brilliantly with some clever play in midfield from the tireless Muireann Roche and Shauna McDonagh and strong running out wide from Leah Hansberry and Maddie Rohan. The Merlin Woods goal led a charmed life as the pressure continued for the remainder of the first half. Both Tara Dillion and Emily Rohan created numerous chances, but Merlin Woods held on until half time. Evelyn McDonnell was the only change at half time as she replaced Tara Dillion up front. Colemanstown again started as they had finished the first half, putting pressure on the Merlin Woods packed defence. The pressure finally paid off 10mins into the second half, when a long clearance by Lucy Butler found Emily Rohan in space. As she dribbled her way into the box she was taken down just outside the penalty area. Emily dusted herself off to take the free kick and calmly slotted the freekick over the wall and past the helpless Merlin Woods keeper. The remainder of the game was a very even contest with Colemanstown having the majority of possession and territory but with Merlin Woods always a threat on the counterattack. However, any breaks from the visitors were calmly dealt with by our hardworking back four of Niamh Naughton, Grace Connolly, Tia Loughnane & Laoise Naughton, and our always reliable keeper Lucy Butler. A draw was probably the fairest result, with a hard-earned point keeping our girls in second place in the table and still in the mix for promotion with only two games left in the league season. Next up is an away tie in two weeks’ time against Corrib Rangers. Match Report: Noel Connolly.
Squad: Lucy Butler, Niamh Naughton, Tia Loughnane, Grace Connolly, Laoise Naughton, Leah Hansberry, Muireann Roche, Shauna McDonagh, Maddie Rohan, Emily Rohan, Tara Dillon, Evelyn McDonnell
U16 Boys Div1: East Galway Utd 4 – 0 Colemanstown. In a thrilling encounter, East Galway Utd U16’s emerged victorious with a 4-0 win over Colemanstown Utd on Sunday. The scoreline, however, doesn’t fully reflect the competitive nature of the match, as Colemanstown Utd created numerous chances that, on another day, could have led to a different outcome. Credit must be given to East Galway for their clinical finishing. The first ten minutes saw both teams cautiously studying each other. Colemanstown Utd had the initial opportunities, with Tadgh Hart making impressive runs down the wings and setting up Joshua Lualdi whose shot was parried by the East Galway keeper. Jamie Lally also came close with a long-range effort that skimmed past the post. Despite these early threats, East Galway’s attacking flair and speed soon became evident. The hosts opened the scoring in the 15th minute from a corner kick, as they reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box & a very unfortunate goal to concede for custodian Tommy Nutley and the defence of Morgan Keogh, Mike Lally, James Somers and Daniel Booth who up to this point were able to deal with the pacy attackers. Colemanstown Utd responded with determination with Jamie Lally & Oisin Gavin to the fore and as Tadgh Hart continued to trouble the East Galway defense with great movement and vision, linking up well with Noah McDonnell and Sean Keating on the wings. Joshua Lualdi forced another save from the keeper after some clever play by Sean Keating, but a swift counterattack from the resulting corner saw East Galway double their lead, leaving Colemanstown Utd trailing 2-0 at halftime. East Galway maintained their momentum in the second half. Colemanstown tried to get back into the game and made several substitutions creating some more chances, through Jamie Lally and Sean Keating to try and change the course of the game. Stephen Murphy, Gearoid Walsh and Jamie Cuniffe tried to fashion a break through but it wasn’t to be. The hosts scored their third goal in the 55th minute through some well-coordinated play and a super finish that further demoralised our team. East Galway’s defense held firm, preventing any other significant threats. The hosts sealed their victory with a final goal in the 70th minute, capping off a deserved win. Their comprehensive win highlights their potential and sets a high bar for future matches. Colemanstown Utd will need to regroup and come back stronger in their next outing. Match Report: Luca Lualdi
Squad: Tommy Nutley, James Somers, Daniel Booth, Oisin Gavin, Mike Lally, Morgan Keogh, Noah McDonnell, Jamie Lally, Joshua Lualdi, Tadhg Hart, Sean Keating, Gearoid Walsh, Fionn Proulx, Stephen Murphy, Paddy Gavin, Jamie Cunniffe, Padraig Fallon.
U18 Boys Connacht Shield: Colemanstown 4-1 Westport. Colemanstown’s U18 boys put in a commanding performance on Sunday afternoon to book their place in the quarter final of the Connacht Shield with a superb 4-1 victory over Westport. Right from the off Colemanstown set the tempo, as they dominated possession & created early chances as they took the game to the visitors. The first warning signs for Westport came early, as both Kyle Madden & Tiarnan Lohan had good chances but were unable to break the deadlock. Left back David Walsh showcased his passing ability with a pinpoint crossfield ball to Lohan, but the delivery was just behind him & the Westport defence recovered in time to pressure his shot wide. Colemanstown’s persistence paid off on the 15min mark, as Kyle Madden drove down the right wing, cut inside, and forced a save from the Westport keeper. The rebound fell perfectly to Tiarnan Lohan who was quickest to react and smashed home from close range to put Colemanstown 1 – 0 up. Colemanstown doubled their advantage just 6mins later with a well worked team move. Shane Duffy & Aironas Kantauskas combined on the wing before Aironas delivered a sublime cross into the box. Kyle Madden timed his run perfectly at the back post and sent a powerful header past the keeper to make it 2 – 0. Madden came close again from a David Walsh corner, but his header flew just wide. However, the in-form striker made no mistake in the 31st minute, bending a low free kick around the four man Westport wall & into the bottom corner to give Colemanstown a 3 -0 lead. Westport’s first real opportunity arrived a minute later due to a defensive mix-up, but with keeper Sean Cooke advanced off his line, their striker failed to capitalise as he fired wide. Colemanstown were relentless & the 4th goal came on 34mins from a corner by Aironas Kantauskas. The ball pinballed around in the six-yard box before Diarmuid Ryan reacted quickest to slot home and give Colemanstown a commanding 4 – 0 halftime lead. Throughout the 1st half, Josh Buckley was a constant thorn in the Westport defence, running at them at every opportunity & forcing mistakes with his relentless pressure & movement. At the other end, Shane Duffy put in a tireless shift at centre back covering every inch of grass & ensuring the back line remained solid under any pressure. With a comfortable advantage by half time, Ross Lally (left-back), Tiarnan Proulx (centre mid), and Matthew Keane (right wing) were introduced for fresh legs. The 2nd half was more measured but Colemanstown still carved out good chances. Diarmuid Ryan narrowly missed a header from an Aironas free kick, while Matthew Keane’s driving run down the wing ended with a shot straight at the keeper. Westport had a rare chance 24 minutes in, but Sean Cooke pulled off an excellent one-on-one save to preserve his clean sheet. Cathal Kennedy had another close range opportunity but was denied by the keeper. Further subs kept the intensity high, with Fionn Campbell replacing the hard working Shane Quirke. Matthew Keane had a golden opportunity to add a fifth when Conor van Oosterhout played a looping ball over the defence, but his shot sailed over. Moments later, Tiarnan Proulx & Conor van set up Matthew Keane again & his powerful strike forced a superb one-handed save from the Westport keeper. Right at the death, Westport grabbed a consolation goal with a long range effort from the centre circle, which dipped unexpectedly over Sean Cooke’s head. However Colemanstown’s defence – Shane Duffy, Donnacha Walsh, Diarmuid Ryan & Ross Lally – stood firm in the dying seconds, absorbing one final free kick as the referee blew for full time. This was a superb all round performance from Colemanstown, who fully deserve their place in the quarter -final of the Connacht Shield. Dominant from start to finish, they combined defensive solidity, great attacking play & clinical finishing to see off a good Westport side. Well done to all the players and coaches – dare we say it but a little step closer to a bit of silverware! Match Report: Martina Donnellan
Squad: Sean Cooke, David Walsh, Diarmuid Ryan, Shane Duffy, Donnacha Walsh, Conor van Oosterhout, Aironas Kantauskas, Shane Quirke, Tiarnan Lohan, Kyle Madden, Josh Buckley, Tiarnan Proulx, Ross Lally, Matthew Keane, Cathal Kennedy, Fionn Campbell, Sean Connolly, Rónán Screene.