Ballyglass edge five-goal thriller in Mayo Under 19 Girls Cup final

Ballyglass defeated Manulla 3-2 in the Mayo Women’s League Hayes Mechanical & Engineering Under 19 Girls Cup final, at Milebush Park, on Sunday afternoon.

Ballyglass made the perfect start by snatching the lead inside the first minute. Sari Vahey won possession and threaded an inch-perfect ball into the path of Kate Brennan and the latter’s bundled finish just about crept over the goal-line, much to the delight of the red and white supporters.

Buoyed up by taking the lead, Ballyglass began to move the ball around the park with plenty of purpose, with Hannah Pecak and Aoife McHugh instrumental in the midfield sector.

The red and white eventually doubled their lead on 15 minutes. This time it was the industrious Pecak who spotted a timely run by Brennan just inside enemy territory and the latter’s audacious long-range effort rustled the back of the net.

Manulla regrouped and the blue and white almost pulled a goal back on 37 minutes, but substitute Grace O’Malley was most unlucky to see her angled drive fizz inches over the crossbar.

On 58 minutes, the Candystripes trebled their lead when Pecak set up Brennan and the latter applied a cool finish to the back of the net before wheeling away to celebrate her hat-trick.

However, this clash was far from over and Manulla reduced the deficit on 59 minutes thanks to a sublime finish by Nicole Ryan.

A grandstand finish was in store when Manulla’s Sophie O’Donnell rustled the back of the net on 87 minutes.

Manulla valiantly searched for an equaliser, but their brave comeback ran out of time and Ballyglass held on to claim the silverware.

* More on the final in Tuesday's print edition