Women’s football quarter-finals: Super-sub Guthrie grabs two goals as Donegal dump Dublin out

Donegal 3-7 Dublin 1-7

Substitute Karen Guthrie scored two of Donegal’s three second-half goals as they dumped Dublin out of the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship at Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada in Carrick-on-Shannon on Saturday afternoon.

After a solid first half where Donegal had laid out their plans to go in 0-4 to 0-1 in front, in the second they played the breaks to perfection, with Yvonne Bonner scoring the first goal before Guthrie added two more. Carla Rowe managed to bundle home one for Dublin in the last minute, although it was never going to change the outcome of this quarter-final.

Donegal scored the opening two points through Geraldine McLaughlin, the first of her five frees, and Amy Boyle Carr, and although Dublin got on the scoreboard 10 minutes in, that was to be the last score for a quarter of an hour.

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The more the half went on, the more things began to click for Donegal, with a 15-minute scoreless spell concluded with a McLaughlin free and then another on 28 minutes. Donegal had edged into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead by the break.

Dublin didn’t manage a point from play in the first period yet it took less than 20 seconds for Lyndsey Davey to do it after half-time.

McLaughlin, though, added two more frees, either side of a Hannah Tyrrell point and it was 0-6 to 0-3 for Donegal on 40 minutes. Their spirits were further lifted with the introduction of former captain Guthrie, who was named to start but had been carrying a problematic ankle injury of late.

Three minutes later, Bonner slammed past Ciara Trant for a 1-6 to 0-3 lead, with Boyle Carr bursting into space down the right and having the presence of mind to look up and lay the ball inside.

Donegal stuck by their game plan though, with a long Niamh Hegarty ball finding Bonner, who laid off for Guthrie to add a second goal on 49 minutes and the dream was becoming reality.

Dublin were reeling and fluffing their lines and five minutes later a boomer from Guthrie which was dropping short, fell into the net with Tanya Kennedy’s presence perhaps distracting Trant in goal. Donegal, needing to pinch themselves, were 10 points up, 3-7 to 0-6.

Dublin kept pushing and scrambled a 59th-minute goal from Rowe after Caoimhe O’Connor’s first shot was blocked. For Donegal, it was one of their most famous days.

DONEGAL: R McCafferty; E Gallagher, E McGinley, T Kennedy; D Foley, S Twohig, T Hegarty; K Herron, Nicole McLaughlin; Niamh McLaughlin, R Rodgers, A Boyle Carr (0-1); N Hegarty, Y Bonner (1-0), G McLaughlin (0-5, five frees).

Subs: K Guthrie (2-1) for T Hegarty (40 mins).

DUBLIN: C Trant; J Tobin, L Caffrey, L Magee; A Kane, M Byrne, S Goldrick; J Dunne (0-1), K McDaid; N Owens, C Rowe (1-3, three frees), K Sullivan; H Tyrrell, C O’Connor, L Davey (0-1).

Subs: N Hetherington for Sullivan (48 mins), S Kileen for Owens (58).

Referee: Kevin Phelan (Laois).

Duggan’s last minute winner breaks Galway hearts

Meath 1-12 Galway 1-11

Emma Duggan kicked a last-minute point to earn defending champions Meath a dramatic win over Galway following a thrilling finale.

Meath were 1-11 to 0-9 in front with the finish line in sight, before finding themselves pegged back. The prospect of 20 additional minutes of action was starting to loom large in the Offaly venue, but the outstanding Duggan decided the outcome to put Eamonn Murray’s charges into a semi-final against Donegal at Croke Park next weekend.

After she traded early points with Galway defender Nicola Ward, Dunboyne youngster Duggan rounded off a seventh-minute move by rattling the opposition net.

Orlagh Lally subsequently split the uprights to extend their lead but despite some early hesitation, Galway were slowly coming to terms with Meath’s rigid defensive system. Following successive efforts from Olivia Divilly, Ailish Morrissey and Leanne Coen, Galway cut the deficit to a single point on 19 minutes.

Vikki Wall did break free for a Meath score but a Tracey Leonard free meant the title holders had to be content with a 1-3 to 0-5 interval cushion. Although this slender advantage was wiped out by Divilly within 30 seconds of the restart, Meath didn’t panic.

Two points without reply from Stacey Grimes (free) and Aoibheann Leahy created some daylight between them and the westerrners. While a Tracey Leonard free kept Galway in touch, Meath appeared on course for the penultimate round when Kelsey Nesbitt (two), Aoibhin Cleary and Grimes combined for four points in the space of five minutes.

The impressive Divilly and substitute Roisin Leonard kept the scoreboard ticking over for the Connacht champions but Meath did likewise through the reliable boots of Nesbitt and Grimes.

Meath looked to be in full control inside the final-quarter, until Eva Noone followed a pointed free by Tracey Leonard with a superb goal from a left-hand angle. Leonard’s cousin Roisin was making a huge impact off the bench and she landed a long range score to level matters on 56 minutes.

This looked set to bring the game into extra-time but Duggan had the final say with a booming point on the right flank with just 15 seconds left on the clock.

MEATH: M McGuirk; S Ennis, MK Lynch, K Newe; A Leahy (0-1), E Troy, A Cleary (0-1); M O’Shaughnessy, O Lally (0-1); M Thynne, E Duggan (1-2), K Nesbitt (0-3); V Wall (0-1), S Grimes (0-3 frees), N O’Sullivan.

Subs: O Byrne for Thynne (53 mins), E White for Grimes (56′), B Lynch for Nesbitt (58′).

GALWAY: A Griffin; H Noone, S Ní Loingsigh, E Gavin; S Molloy, N Ward (0-1), K Geraghty; S Divilly, L Ward; L Coen (0-1), E Noone (1-0), C Cooney; A Morrissey (0-1), O Divilly (0-3), T Leonard (0-3 frees).

Subs: A Davoren for Coen (45 mins), R Leonard (0-2) for Morrissey (45′), A Molloy for Cooney (53′), C Trill for S Molloy (53′), M Seoighe for Noone (58′).

Referee: Barry Redmond (Wexford).

Lisa Cafferky’s key strike secures win for Mayo over Cork

Mayo 2-13 Cork 0-17

Lisa Cafferky scored the crucial second goal to help Mayo secure victory over Cork in their quarter-final at Cusack Park in Ennis.

This was always going to be a competitive tie and it proved to be, but Mayo were the better side and deserved to advance.

Two minutes in Mayo took the lead when Sinead Walsh scored as the Connacht side were enjoying the better of the early exchanges.

Shauna Howley scored the second point as Cork were finding it difficult to get out of their own half. Mayo kept up the early pressure and Kathryn Sullivan made it 0-3 to 0-0 before Cork got off the mark.

The O’Sullivan sisters combined, with Ciara setting up Doireann to split the posts, before Mayo made it a three-point game again with Howley pointing another free.

Tamara O’Connor got in on the scoring act as Mayo kept up the pressure on the Cork kick-outs.

Doireann O’Sullivan scored Cork’s second point, from a free, but Mayo were in control at this stage and got the game’s opening goal in the 10th minute.

Ciara Whyte’s pass split the Cork defence as she played Walsh in who found the bottom corner, to make it 1-5 to 0-2.

But Cork responded as they began to settle with points from Doireann O’Sullivan and Orla Finn, before they had their first goal chance.

A mistake by the Mayo defence saw Emma Cleary pick up the ball but her effort went just over the bar when it could as easily have gone under.

Doireann O’Sullivan got her third as the frantic pace saw Mayo lead 1-6 to 0-6, with 15 minutes gone. Libby Coppinger made it a two-point game, a magnificent point from distance from Doireann O’Sullivan put only one between the sides.

Lisa Cafferky replied for Mayo with Melissa Duggan responding to make it 1-7 to 0-9, with five minutes to half-time.

Ciara and Doireann O’Sullivan both pointed for Cork as they led by a point at the break, despite Mayo playing the better football in the first-half as it was 0-11 to 1-7 at the break.

The second half saw the return of Hannah Looney to the Cork side but it was Finn who increased their lead before Walsh hit the post when she should have scored. Howley replied from a placed ball for Mayo and she had the sides level, from another free in the 36th minute.

Scores from O’Connor and Tara Needham put Mayo back in front before the decisive score came. A mistake from a Cork kick-out saw Lisa Cafferky pick up the ball and slot home to make it 2-12 to 0-13.

Cork hit back with points from Doireann and Ciara O’Sullivan to put three between the sides with 10 minutes to go, 2-12 to 0-15.

Mayo were down to 14 when Ciara Whyte was sinbinned but it mattered little as Sarah Mulvihill rounded off the scoring to see the Connacht side advance.

MAYO: A Tarpey; E Ronayne, R Flynn, D Caldwell; T O’Connor (0-2), F McHale, K Sullivan (0-1); S Cafferky, A Geraghty; S Howley (0-6, three frees), S Walsh (1-1), S Mulvihill (0-1); L Cafferky (1-1), C Whyte, T Needham (0-1).

Subs: C Needham for S Walsh (43 mins), E Murray for L Cafferky (52), L Wallace for K Sullivan (57), S El Massy for E Ronayne (58).

CORK: M O’Sullivan; R Phelan, E Meaney, A Hutchings; M Duggan (0-1), M O’Callaghan, M Ambrose; S Leahy, B O’Sullivan; E Cleary (0-1), C O’Sullivan (0-2), L Coppinger (0-1); R Leahy, D O’Sullivan (0-8, five frees), O Finn (0-2).

Subs: H Looney for S Leahy (30 mins), A O’Sullivan (0-1) for B O’Sullivan (38), E Scally (0-1) for R Leahy (43), M Cahalane for M Ambrose (47).

Referee: Sáamus Mulvihill (Kerry).

Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh guides Kerry into final four

Kerry 4-12 Armagh 2-14

Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh struck 2-6 at O’Connor Park in Tullamore as Kerry were four point winners in their semi-final against Armagh.

In addition to the Corca Dhuibhne woman’s scoring prowess, Niamh Carmody and Siofra O’Shea also rattled the net for the Kingdom. The majestic Aimee Mackin finished with 0-11 for Armagh but the Orchard County ultimately suffered a second consecutive quarter-final exit.

After Ní Mhuircheartaigh and Aoife Lennon traded points in a pulsating start, Carmody combined to devastating effect with O’Shea for a superb fourth-minute Kerry goal.

The always-influential Mackin came to life with three excellent points, but additional scores from captain Anna Galvin, Danielle O’Leary and Katie Brosnan ensured the Kingdom were three points in front, 1-4 to 0-4, on the first-quarter mark.

Both teams remained committed to an all-out attacking approach as the action progressed and, as a consequence, there were goals galore towards the end of the opening period. While Lorraine Scanlon cancelled out a Mackin free, Armagh attacker Aoife McCoy shook the Kerry net in the 23rd-minute.

Buoyed by this score, the Ulster outfit went on to add points through Mackin (two) and the evergreen Caroline O’Hanlon. Even though a Ní Mhuircheartaigh goal briefly halted their march, another goal courtesy of Niamh Coleman left Armagh 2-8 to 2-5 ahead at the interval.

Galvin and Mackin added to their respective accounts with points on the restart, before Kerry narrowed the gap to the bare minimum with a two-point salvo by Ní Mhuircheartaigh. The travelling Kingdom supporters were then given a reason to be cheerful when O’Shea fired low to the bottom left-hand corner for her side’s third goal on 37 minutes.

A Ní Mhuircheartaigh free helped Kerry to build further momentum, only for a revitalised Armagh to once again restore parity with unanswered points from Mackin (two) and Kelly Mallon. Ní Mhuircheartaigh and substitute Erica McGlynn scored points in advance of Mackin’s 10th score of the game, but the Munster side were in sight of a last-four spot when Ní Mhuircheartaigh coolly slotted home a 53rd-minute penalty.

Yet another point by the immense Mackin kept Armagh in the hunt, but a similar effort from Ní Mhuircheartaigh at the opposite end put the seal on the win for Kerry.

KERRY: C Butler; J O’Sullivan, K Cronin, E Lynch; A O’Connell, E Costello, C Murphy; L Scanlon (1-0), C Lynch; N Carmody (1-0), S O’Shea (1-0), A Galvin (0-2); K Brosnan (0-1), D O’Leary (0-1), L Ní Mhuircheartaigh (2-6, 1-0 pen, 0-4 frees).

Subs: P McCarthy for Brosnan (30 mins), E McGlynn (0-1) for O’Leary (46), C Evans for Carmody (55′).

ARMAGH: A Carr; S Grey, C McCambridge, C Towe; N Marley, L McConville, G Ferguson; B Mackin, C O’Hanlon (0-1); A Lennon (0-1), N Coleman (1-0), C Marley; A Mackin (0-11, five frees), A McCoy (1-0), K Mallon (0-1 free).

Subs: T Grimes for Grey (23 mins), E Lavery for Towe (37′), A Clarke for Lennon (42′), N Reel for Coleman (53′).

Referee: Shane Curley (Galway).