Galway win All-Ireland Minor Crown

All-Ireland Minor ladies football final

GALWAY
5-7 DONEGAL 1-8

UNA CARROLL scored two goals and saved a penalty to inspire Galway
to their second ever All-Ireland ladies minor football title in
yesterday’s final against Donegal at Tourelstrane. Carroll finished
the game with a personal tally of 2-3 to pick up her second All-Ireland
medal in less than 12 months as she was also part of the senior
team who won the Brendan Martin Cup at Croke Park last October.

Carroll performed heroics at both ends of the field yesterday. Although
she plays at corner-forward for the Galway minors, the Corofin club
girl lines out in goals for the county senior team. In the dying
seconds of the first half yesterday, Galway minor goalkeeper Louise
Morris was sin binned when she brought down Donegal’s Yvonne McMonagle
to concede a penalty. Carroll rushed up the field to stand between
the posts for the resulting penalty and saved McMonagle’s effort
to send Galway in at the break with a two point advantage, 2-2 to
0-6.

Galway’s first half goals came from Michelle Delaney in the 11th
minute and Carroll on the quarter hour mark. Donegal, who have never
won an All-Ireland title at the grade, started the second half strongly
and reduced the gap to the minimum courtesy of a McMonagle point
early after the resumption.

However, the Ulster side failed to score again until the final minutes
of the game. Ann Marie McDonagh hit Galway’s first point of the
second half and they quickly tagged over four more in succession.

Player of the match Sarah Cosgrove, who scored 2-1 in total, registered
her first goal in the 59th minute to make it 3-7 to 0-7 in favour
of Galway. Donegal responded with a Bridget Gallagher point and
a goal from Sheila Campbell.

However, Galway put the game well beyond Donegal with a brace of
injury time goals from Carroll and Cosgrove to collect the All-Ireland
minor crown.