Moville finally land the big one 09.09.08
Women’s Senior Football Championship - Final

Moville...3-14 (N. Hegarty 1-4 (1 penalty goal; 3 frees); M. McGettigan 1-2; T. Doherty 0-4; C. Ward 1-0 (o.g.); A. Doherty 0-2; N. McLaughlin 0-1; C. Hegarty 0-1). Glenfin...1-10 (B. Bonner 1-1; Y. McMonagle 0-4 (1 free); K. Guthrie 0-3; M. Herron 0-2). by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, Glenswilly THEY say that good things come to those that wait, and on Friday night Moville finally claimed the Donegal women’s Senior Football Championship. The Foylesiders had lost the three previous finals, but three first half goals – an own goal, a Niamh Hegarty penalty and a superb strike from Maressa McGettigan – ensured that final number four would end with tears of joy rather than pangs of regret. This was a dominant performance from the girls in sky blue. Emma Cavanagh was solid between the posts while Sarah Faulkner and Ciara Hegarty backboned a watertight defence. Aoife O’Hare played a captains’ role in midfield, while up front Niamh McLaughlin was involved in all that was good about Moville’s build up play – the 15 year-old helped set up 1-5 of her side’s 3-7 first half tally as Treasa Doherty, Maressa McGettigan and Niamh Hegarty caused havoc in the Glenfin defence.

The sides hit two points apiece in the opening five minutes, with Moville’s scores coming through Niamh Hegarty and Maressa McGettigan, while Karen Guthrie and Biddy Bonner got on the board for Glenfin. Moville pulled away from their opponents after that, with Treasa Doherty hitting two points off either foot, sister Anita adding another and Niamh Hegarty winning and converting a free. The first goal arrived in unusual circumstances in the 14th minute. Anita Doherty hooked in a high ball from the left wing that flummoxed the Glenfin rearguard and Ciara Ward inadvertently kicked the ball past Sharon McGlynn and into her own net. Moville kept up the pressure with Treasa Doherty twice going close for goal – her first effort bounced off the top of the bar for a point while the other rebounded off the butt of the post and was cleared by the white and red defence. County star Yvonne McMonagle struck Glenfin’s first point in 15

minutes to make it 1-7 to 0-3, but her side conceded another goal in the 21st minute. Treasa Doherty was fouled in the parallelogram and referee Kieran McShea had no hesitation in awarding a penalty that Niamh Hegarty struck expertly to the back of the net. Trailing by ten points, Glenfin were handed a lifeline when Biddy Bonner scored the goal of the match five minutes before the break. She unleashed a fierce shot from 20 metres that dipped under Sarah Cavanagh’s crossbar and Karen Guthrie followed up with a point moments later to reduce the deficit to six points.
	But hopes of a Glenfin comeback were dashed when Niamh McLaughlin and Treasa Doherty combined down the left to set up Maressa McGettigan and the full forward netted a goal a minute into injury time to give her side a 3-7 to 1-4 half-time lead. With the wind and rain on their backs, Glenfin opened the second half scoring when Anna Bradley combined with Yvonne McMonagle for the latter to point. But Moville responded with Niamh McLaughlin, Treasa Doherty, Ciara Hegarty and Niamh Hegarty pointing between the 35th and 43rd minutes. Glenfin introduced Tara Martin for the injured Cathy McKenna and had their best spell of the match midway through the second half. A Karen Guthrie free and points from McMonagle (2) and Marie Herron gained them a slender grip on the game, but the yellow carding and sin binning of Herron in the 50th minute for a foul on Ciara Hegarty left Glenfin with an absolute mountain to climb. Anita Doherty and Maressa McGettigan added further points for Moville before Glenfin were reduced to 13 when full back Katie Herron picked up a yellow card and was sent to the sin-bin five minutes from the end.
Moville seemed content to soak up whatever pressure Glenfin could muster in the closing stages, with Loirin Melarkey and Deirdre Foley rebuffing a couple of attacks. Niamh Hegarty pointed an injury time free and Marie Herron came back from the sin-bin to notch up a point on the full-time whistle. Moville will now face the Derry champions Glen in the Ulster club championship. That will be a step up in competition for Moville, but with this county final hoodoo broken there’s really no telling just how far they can go. Moville: Emma Cavanagh; Gemma Faulkner, Sarah Faulkner, Loirin Melarkey; Aoife McLaughlin, Ciara Hegarty, Deirdre Foley; Aoife O’Hare, Maria Faulkner; Niamh McLaughlin, Niamh Hegarty, Anita Doherty; Geraldine Harkin, Maressa McGettigan, Treasa Doherty. Subs: Katie Norris for G. Harkin (56 mins); Shona Kelly for T. Doherty (58 mins). Glenfin: Sharon McGlynn; Annemarie McGlynn, Katie Herron, Sinead Campbell; Ciara Ward, Diane Toner, Grainne Houston; Marie Herron, Karen Guthrie; Laura McKenna, Yvonne McMonagle, Mairead McMahon; Biddy Bonner, Cathy McKenna, Anna Bradley. Sub: Tara Martin for C. McKenna (39 mins).