St Pat’s girls into NI finals
Thursday, 23 October 2008
St Patrick’s College Year 8/9 girls who were winners of the Dale Farm indoor soccer . Included is Tony McAuley, teacher.
St Patrick's College, Ballymena will go forward to represent County Antrim in the Northern Ireland finals of the Dale Farm County Antrim Indoor Soccer Cup after a recent close encounter with Cullybackey High at the Valley Leisure Centre.
This year's event was divided into three groups of five teams.
Each team played four matches in their group and the top three teams, along with the best runner up, went in to contest the semi finals.
St Patrick's got off to a good start with a 2-0 defeat of Sperrin Integrated and the goals coming from captain Kerri Rose McElroy.
Their second game with Downshire was a closer affair with neither team managing to score. Another tight match saw Kerri Rose score the only goal of the game against Carrick College.
Hazelwood provided the opposition in the final group game and goals from Pauline Canavan and Shannon Phillips saw them through to the semi final.
Glengormley, who had scored 12 goals in their group games, were a strong team and St Patrick's had their work cut out.
It was with some outstanding defending from Shannon Phillips and Rachel McBride that weathered the storm and Kerri Rose once again popping up with the winning goal late in the game.
Cullybackey had beaten Newtownabbey Community College in the other semi final and the stage was set for a tight encounter.
The game was end to end with chances by both teams missed in front of goals.
Finally a breakthrough came and it was the captain again, Kerri Rose, who coolly slotted the ball past the encroaching Cullybackey keeper.
After that Cullybackey had the run of the game but couldn't score past the agile Ciara Devine in the St Patrick's net.
This was a great performance from the two teams and worthy of a final.
St Patrick's went through the competition without conceding a goal and they are wished luck in the Northern Ireland Finals on December 10.
St Patrick squad: Ciara Devine, Rachel McBride, Shannon Phillips, Kerri Rose McElroy (capt), Pauline Canavan, Helen Killough, Asling Reid, Collette Laverty and Rachel Hughes.
