Cloughjordan girls heading for the Aviva

Cloughjordan No. 1 NS girls soccer team will be heading to the Aviva Stadium next month after their 5 aside team won their Munster Final last week at Cahir Park AFC.

The Cloughjordan girls were representing Tipperary in section A having won the Tipperary County final in April.

Their first game on Munster Final day was against Waterford and the girls got off to a rough start, losing 1-0 to a very strong Deise team.

Despite the loss, the girls worked extremely hard throughout and were very unlucky with some chances. Thanks to some great workrate by Amelia Harding Fogarty along with some important tackles from her kept the scoreline at just 1-0.

The girls had to pick themselves up and move on, and they did just that. They showed great character and determination and bounced back when they played Kerry in their second game, winning 1-0 thanks to the boot of Emma Hayes, who worked up and down the pitch in an incredible performance, aided by great defending and support play from Holly Fitzpatrick and Ava Landy who kept the Kerry girls under pressure.

This victory meant that the girls came second in their group and progressed to the semi-finals facing the top team in group 2 who were Limerick.

They had a fantastic team performance in their semi-final, showing incredible skill and superb shots, resulting in them winning 2-0, with both goals coming from the two Emma’s, Austin & Hayes. They were supported really well by Holly Fitzpatrick, Megan Davis, and Jena Guni.

The girls then faced a very tough challenge in the final, coming up against Waterford once again.

Having been beaten earlier in the day, the girls had a lot to prove and they did just that. It was a thrilling encounter with great battles on the pitch. There was incredible skill from both sides.

The Cloughjordan girls attacked and defended brilliantly, thanks to very solid performance from Holly Fitzpatrick in defence with some crucial tackles put in kept the Waterford attackers at bay.

All the hard work in the early stages paid off when Emma Austin and Megan Davis scored for a 2-0 half-time lead.

The second half continued to be a challenge when Waterford nabbed an early goal. Waterford attacked again and were one-on-one with goalkeeper Annie Davis, but she pulled off the save of the day, denying them a certain goal and the equaliser.

Megan Davis continued to put pressure on the Waterford defence throughout and with less than two minutes left, Jena Guni and Emma Austin were through on goal with Austin slotting home Cloughjordan's third goal to seal the 3-1 win.

There were ecstatic scenes as captain Annie Davis lifted the Munster Cup high in the air, securing a historic win for Cloughjordan No.1 N.S. and the Munster FAI 5-aside Section A title.

It was the third year in a row the Cloughjordan girls team made the Munster finals but this being the first victory which meant a lot to the girls. It was well deserved and well earned by all.

We wish the Cloughjordan No.1 N.S. girls the very best of luck in the All-Ireland Finals in the Aviva Stadium as they now represent their county and province in the National Stadium.