Temple Villa girls march into last four with famous victory

SFAI National Cup Under-14 Girls quarter-final

Temple Villa 2 Kilnamanagh 0

By Eamon A. Donoghue

Temple Villa U14 girls made history by defeating Kilnamanagh at TP Hickey Park last Sunday, thereby securing a last four place in the SFAI National Cup.

On a memorable occasion, the girls from Temple Villa have created history for themselves and another step towards outright glory as they saw off strong Dublin opposition.

Their opponents on the day were the proud junior club of Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe and they fought to the very end.

The visitors were possibly unlucky to lose on a 2-0 scoreline, but the hardworking Mount Temple based team deserved the win overall.

In an absorbing game, full of relentless energy and effort, both teams kept everyone on their toes almost throughout. The game was on a knife edge until Grace Pillion scored Temple Villa’s second goal. The TP Hickey Park pitch stood up well after all the recent rain and all eyes will now be on the opposition and the venue for the semi-final.

On a bright but cold day, a sharp wind blew diagonally across the pitch, with Temple Villa having the advantage of the elements in the first half.

But it was the visitors Kilnamanagh that dominated the first quarter. Taylor O’Neill stood out, the midfielder having attempts from distance from which she was unlucky not to score.

Possibly their best move of the game came in the tenth minute. Jade O’Connor made a run down the right flank before passing to Kate Breen and her shot was going into the corner of the net only for Villa keeper Faye Allen bringing off a terrific save.

The Dublin team created all the best opportunities in the first 25 minutes but it was the hosts that scored first.

Eliza Mallon swung in an excellent corner and it was cleared by the Kilnamanagh defence, but the ball came back out to Mallon, who she let fly and the ball flew into the roof of the net like a rocket, giving Chloe Keating no chance in goals.

The goal was against the run of play but it gave the Westmeath side the ascendancy at a crucial time in the game and they led 1-0 at half-time.

Kilnamanagh had the advantage of the wind that was getting stronger for the second half.

They again dominated possession and bombarded the Temple Villa goalmouth for the majority of the half.

They went close to scoring numerous times and maybe if they had scored once, they could have gone on and won the game, but the Temple Villa defence, especially keeper Allen, was outstanding and they stayed resolute, clearing their lines time after time.

Breen, O’Connor and O’Neill all had chances for Kilnamanagh, the best falling to O’Connor. She was in on goal with just the keeper to beat, but her deft touch went agonisingly wide of the post.

With time running out on the Tallaght based side, the one goal looked like it might do for the hosts but a one-goal lead is never safe.

Temple Villa were struggling to hold on to possession for any length of time, they were relying on the grafting of the wholehearted Aimee Greene at midfield, who was running herself to a standstill.

Then, against the run of play again, Temple Villa scored their second. Grace Pillion had fought a lone furrow all game up top, pressing opponents and always showing across the line, and her efforts paid off.

Pillion finally breached the strong Kilnamanagh defence and got inside her direct opponent before unleashing a powerful shot that rippled the net. A lead of two goals was surely enough at such a late stage in the game.

To their credit, however, Kilnamanagh never threw in the towel. They got the ball back into the Villa box but they were denied by outstanding defending, particularly from Alice Weir and Abigail Kelly, with the latter throwing herself in front of shots.

Alison Whyte was working hard on the right flank and her quick turns and runs at the opposition were crucial when Villa were struggling to hold possession.

Alannah Murray and Moya Hegarty both battled with Aimee Greene to help their team in the midfield battle. They saw out the game to the final whistle and then the celebrations started.

Temple Villa now go into the semi-finals and they will feel confident of matching any opponent from here on.

Player of the match: Faye Allen (Temple Villa). Alice Weir and Anna McCormack were rock solid in the centre of their defence. Aimee Greene grafted for the 70 off minutes at midfield and both goal scorers, Grace Pillion and Eliza Mallon, played key roles. But if one player's performance is to be highlighted as crucial to the win, it surely must be that of goalkeeper Faye Allen. She brought off a couple of miraculous saves, was confident behind her defence and dealt with anything that was thrown at her. For Kilnamanagh, Taylor O’Neill was best.

Temple Villa: Faye Allen, Abigail Kelly, Nicole Greene, Alice Weir, Anna McCormack, Moya Hegarty, Alannah Murray, Aimee Greene, Grace Pillion, Eliza Mallon, Alison Whyte. Subs used: Lexie Grady and Grace O’Rourke. Other subs: Caoimhe Farrell, Emme Fitzgerald, Kate Henson, Tara Ledwith, Grace Hallissey.

Kilnamanagh: Chloe Keating, Lucia Brock, Grace Hughes, Sophia Kenna, Madison McKenzie, Ava Malone, Abbie Halpin, Kate Breen, Jade O’Connor, Taylor O’Neill, Ally Lyons. Subs used: Olivia Lyons, Kellie Quinn, Ava Forrester.

Referee: Martin Buckley.