Ladies 1s Secure 3–2 Irish Challenge Trophy Victory Over Skerries
North Down Ladies 1s travelled to Skerries for their first-round Irish Trophy Challenge fixture, ready to make their mark. Following a great warm-up, the girls were fired up and ready to go out hard from the first whistle!
Winning the passback, North Down wasted no time getting into their stride. Within the opening two minutes, they had won a short corner and, with a well-drilled routine, Connie Magee slotted the ball into the back of the net to give North Down an early lead!
Skerries responded with a dangerous attack, but they were met by a determined North Down defence. Goalkeeper Kathryn Gray was on hand to make the important stops, well supported by the defensive line of Nadia Bell, Holly Scott, Sophie Stewart and Erin Stewart, who worked tirelessly to keep Skerries at bay.
North Down continued to battle hard, and their efforts paid off in the second quarter. Sophie Hoey produced an excellent reverse-stick strike to find the back of the net and double North Down’s advantage!
Sarah Taylor was fantastic going forward, creating dangerous attacking opportunities, while Emily Johnston, Hannah Macrory and the two Sophie’s worked brilliantly up front, making strong leads and driving forward to put the Skerries defence under pressure. Connie Magee also had a fantastic game in left midfield, contributing superbly across the pitch.
Skerries came out fighting in the third quarter and put North Down under increased pressure. A quick counterattack resulted in an excellent straight strike into the net, bringing Skerries back into the game. Despite this setback, North Down regrouped and showed great determination to respond.
Their response came through another short corner, with Sophie Leckie producing a lovely drag flick to restore North Down’s two-goal cushion and make it 3–1!
The final quarter brought more drama as Skerries found the net again to make it 3–2. With momentum building, Skerries took their goalkeeper off in the closing stages in a final push for an equaliser. However, North Down stood firm, defending superbly over the final four minutes to see out the game and secure a well-deserved victory.
It was a fantastic team performance, with goals from Connie Magee, Sophie Hoey and Sophie Leckie proving the difference. The girls showed great attacking intent, defensive resilience and determination throughout to get their Irish Trophy Challenge campaign off to the perfect start!
Players of the match: Connie Magee, Caitlin Taylor and Sarah Taylor.
Final score: North Down Ladies 1s 3–2 Skerries
