Molly Sweeney double secures historic first for Wicklow Rovers

Carnew FC 0

Wicklow Rovers emerged victorious over Carnew FC in the WWSL Divisional Shield final on Sunday afternoon in Gorey thanks to goals in each half from Molly Sweeney.

It was an historic first in Ramstown when the two Garden County sides played in the first all-Wicklow final in the Wexford Women’s League.

Both sides are in challenging positions in their respective divisions and were impressive on the road to this final which is for teams who participate in Division 2B and 3.

The teams proved hard to separate in the early stages of the match with efforts from Louise Corrigan of Wicklow and Leanne Twamley of Carnew being repelled by the respective goalkeepers.

As the game started to settle into a rhythm it became clear that the Rovers would control most of the possession while Carnew attempted to defend in a low block and hit Wicklow on the counter-attack.

The opener came with 20 minutes gone, as Sweeney pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area before poking the ball into the top right corner of the Carnew goal.

The confidence the Wicklow town women gained from scoring was clear to see as they began playing with a new-found belief as attempts on goal by Aisling McDonald and Sweeney heaped pressure on the Carnew rearguard.

Carnew, however, held firm and went into the break only a goal behind courtesy of some brilliant last-ditch defending. Central to the Carnew game plan was Nicole Curran as her composure on the ball and defensive positioning saw her put in a standout performance at centre-back.

Wicklow Rovers began the second half as they had finished the first, as McDonald saw her shot go just wide before Sweeney’s second doubled the Rovers’ lead.

This goal was arguably better than the first as she beat two Carnew defenders before finishing into the bottom corner with the outside of the boot.

There was still plenty of time for Carnew to stage a comeback, however they struggled to get near Amy Kavanagh in the Wicklow goal with their only real attempt on goal in the second half going wide off the boot of Julie Rawson.

For Wicklow Rovers it was a well-deserved win that was built on an all-round strong team performance.

Wicklow Rovers: Amy Kavanagh, Anne Murphy, Amanda Duffy, Louise Johnson, Margaret Doyle, Louise Corrigan, Aoife Caffery, Sinead Keogh, Molly Sweeney, Edwina Slayer, Aisling McDonald. Subs: Sophie Byrne, Katie Verbruggen, Cara Walsh,

Carnew FC: Leanne Walsh, Lara Murphy, Tara Doran, Sophie Doran, Nicole Curran, Caitlin Hughes, Kym Dixon, Ciara Kenny, Leanne Twamley, Julie Rawson, Lucy Kemple. Subs: Hannah Kilbride, Laoise Doran.

Referee: Martin Armstrong