Limerick Women's Soccer Cup final wins for Ballylanders and Lifford

BALLYLANDERS claimed the Limerick Women's Schoolgirls Soccer League Division 2 Cup final with a thrilling final victory over Shannon Town on Saturday afternoon at the Markets Field.

This was a highly entertaining contest right from kick-off. Shannon Town went into the final as favourites and were first on the mark when Emma Nolan fired them in front..

To their credit Ballylanders recovered from that blow and hit back impressively. The Limerick side equalised thanks to a free-kick from Michelle Walsh.

Ballylanders then took the lead when Shannon O’Doherty was on target. Neither side managed to add to the scoreline over the remainder of the game as Bally held on to score a nail-biting victory.  

Beaten Cup finalists Shannon Town had an excellent season overall as they claimed the league title in the division.

In the Division 1 Cup final, played later in the day, Lifford scored a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Kilmallock United.

Lifford went into the final as favourites, given the level of experience in their squad. However, Kilmallock, who have a young squad at present, showed admirable grit and provided a stern test for Lifford.

The scorer of the game's only goal was Lifford's Mary Tierney.

There were lots of traveling supporters, cheering on all the teams at the Markets Field for the finals on Saturday, despite the bad weather.