Mayo FC knocked out of LOI Academy WU17 Shield by Waterford

Waterford came back from two goals down to knock Mayo FC out of the League of Ireland Under 17 Women's Shield on a dreary Monday evening in Umbro Park, Milebush, Castlebar, writes Nathan Keane.

A 70th minute red card for Mayo’s goalkeeper, Aisling Farragher, massively changed the complexion of the game and swung the momentum of the match firmly out of the hosts' favour.

This dismissal, as well as a sensational second-half performance from Waterford winger Megan O’Regan, was enough to push the visitors over the line.

The game was played in gusty, showery conditions, and Mayo had a firm breeze behind their backs in the first half, which gave them an early boost. The home side’s first foray forward came from left back Bonnie Walsh but she dribbled the ball out of play. Walsh had an energetic game throughout.

It took only six minutes for the deadlock to be broken. A Mayo corner, taken by Caoimhe O’Donnell, was crossed into a dangerous area. The ball bobbled in the box, Waterford failed to clear their lines, and Mayo striker Emily Coleman bundled it in to give her side an early lead.

Mayo got close to scoring once again after good build up play from Saoirse Reynolds, Emily Coleman and Zara Newell, but Newell’s shot dragged just wide of the post.

It took Waterford 20 minutes to get their first sniff at goal. Jodie Roche had a shot from outside the box which she failed to direct on target. Following this, the visitors had a series of dangerous corners but Mayo defended well and eventually cleared the danger.

With nearly a half an hour played, Mayo got their second goal of the game thanks to a blistering counter-attack. After a tidy piece of dribbling, Saoirse Reynolds passed the ball off to Caoimhe O’Donnell, who struck a lovely long-range effort over the Waterford ’keeper.

Neither team created many chances for the rest of the half and Mayo went into the break with a deserved two-goal lead.

However, this game flipped on its head in the second half. Shortly after the restart, sloppy defending from Mayo allowed Waterford’s Imogen Power to win the ball in the box. Power played a pass across the box to Jodie Roche, who failed to hit the target.

Moments later, the visitors won a breaking ball in midfield and eventually it found its way into the path of Kate Dalton, whose deflected effort snuck into the back of the net to halve the deficit.

On the hour mark, Megan O’Regan used her electric pace to bring herself one-on-one with Mayo goalkeeper Aisling Farragher. Farragher came off her line to close her down and was deemed to have fouled O’Regan in her attempt to win the ball, with a penalty was awarded. Jodie Roche calmly slotted the ball in to equalise.

Ten minutes later, Mayo FC had a disastrous spell which saw the game slip from their grasp. After another powering O’Regan run, the Waterford player was fouled by Farragher, and a straight red was issued to the Mayo goalkeeper. From the resulting free, Jodie Roche scored her second goal of the game to give her side a 3-2 lead.

Two minutes later, Kate Dalton scored a superb goal for the visitors to secure the win. Mayo fought back, but it just wasn’t their day.

Mayo FC: A. Farragher, B. Walsh, N. Curran, S. Flanagan, A. Conway, E. Coleman, C. O’Donnell, Z. Newell, G. Mulroy, J. Murray, S. Reynolds.

Subs used: J. Moran, L. Kilcullen, Z. Naeem.

Waterford: S. Carroll Lawler, C. Murphy, S. McCabe, L. Beresford, A. Walsh, M. O’Regan, I. Power, K. Dalton, L. Rossiter, J. Roche, S. Whittle.

Referee: P. O’Brien Gleeson.

*Star rating: Megan O’Regan (Waterford)...made a difference in the second half.