Louth Late Surge Secures Place in TG4 All-Ireland JFC Final
Louth 2-11, Carlow 0-11
Louth produced a powerful late surge to defeat Carlow and book their place in the TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship final against Fermanagh. Trailing by a point entering the final quarter, Louth outscored their opponents 1-5 to 0-1 to clinch a spot in the West County Hotel Cup decider.
Captain Áine Breen opened the scoring for Louth, but Carlow responded with points from Clíodhna Ní Shé, Rachel Sawyer, and Megan Townsend. Kate Flood’s soccer skills shone through when she netted Louth’s first goal in the 23rd minute, helping them regain momentum.
Carlow led 0-6 to 1-2 at halftime, and despite Niamh Rice’s excellent point leveling the score in the second half, the match remained tight. Swapped frees from Ní Shé and Flood kept the game balanced until Sawyer’s third point gave Carlow the lead again.
The turning point came in the 55th minute when Breen scored Louth’s second goal. From there, Louth dominated, with Rice, Flood, and Aoife Russell sealing the victory with late points. Louth now prepares to face Fermanagh in the final, aiming for their fourth West County Hotel Cup win.
Scorers:
Louth: Kate Flood 1-3 (0-3f), Niamh Rice 0-5, Áine Breen 1-1, Aoife Russell 0-2.
Carlow: Clíodhna Ní Shé 0-7 (7f), Rachel Sawyer 0-3, Megan Townsend 0-1.
Team Line-ups:
Louth: R Lambe Fagan; A Whyte, E Murray, E Hand; L Byrne, A Breen, C Nolan; A Halligan, E Byrne; M Rooney, A Russell, S Matthews; N Rice, K Flood, C McDonald. Subs: L White for Matthews (39), H Lambe Sally for McDonald (42), C O’Reilly for Whyte (44), R O’Connor Leonard for Rooney (59), C Boyle for Murray (60).
Carlow: N Hanley; A Carroll, A Roche, L Mullins; N Forde, R Bermingham, E Molloy; E Hayden, R Bailey; M Townsend, R Sawyer, S Doyle; S O’Neill, T Lyons, C Ní Shé. Subs: S McCullagh for Lyons (39), N Murphy for Townsend (54), E Ware for Hayden (56), M O’Neill for Muilins (59).
Referee: Ciara Gilroy (Down).
