- Paul Corcoran
- Sat, Jul 03 2021
Paul Corcoran reports from Eamonn Deacy Park
DLR Waves claimed their sixth win of the season when they made the trip to Eamonn Deacy Park to take on Galway in the Women’s National League on Saturday afternoon.
A brace from Katie Malone saw the Dublin side emerge victorious with a 2-0 win on the banks of the Corrib., spoiling Stephen Lally’s first home game in charge of the Tribeswomen.
Lally made two changes to the Galway side that drew 1-1 with Bohemians last weekend with Maja Zajc and Chloe Moloney dropping to the bench and former Cork City goalkeeper Leah Hayes-Cohen making her debut for the Tribeswomen and Savannah McCarthy coming back into the line-up.
Waves made two changes from their loss to Wexford Youths last weekend with Nadine Clare and Niamh Barnes absent for the trip to Galway and Oleta Griffin and Jetta Berrill taking their place.
Galway had the opening chance of the game with a great move started in the middle of the park by Elle O’Flaherty. The ball found its way to Aoife Thompson on the edge of the box who made a quick pass to the on running Lynsey McKey on her left who struck a quick shot on goal, drawing a save from Eve Badana.
Katie Malone went close for the visitors in the eighth minute when she struck a shot inches wide of the post, but the striker didn’t have to wait long to get the ball in the net.
Waves took the lead three minutes later when Rachel Doyle’s long ball into the box found the striker but she failed to control it and clipped it towards Galway’s Shauna Fox. The defender tried to quickly clear the ball but she struck Malone with the ball and it found its way past debutant Leah Hayes-Cohen in goal.
Galway had another great chance to score when Shauna Brennan put Thompson through on goal on the half hour mark but Badana showed why she was worthy of a recent call up to Vera Pauw’s Republic of Ireland squad with a great stop to deny the striker an equaliser.
There was a long wait for the first real chance of the second half but it arrived finally in the 68th minute when second half substitute Kerri Letmon took the ball down the right flank before squaring the ball to Carla McManus, but the striker couldn’t get a clean shot off and Hayes-Cohen denied Waves a second goal.
Minutes later and Galway had their first real opportunity of the second period with McKey standing over a free-kick from long distance. The midfielder shot too close to Badana however, and the goalkeeper gratefully clutched the ball to her chest.
The visitors had been on top for much of the second half and they got their reward from a corner-kick in the 76th minute with Niamh Prior sending the ball into the box.
Jess Gleeson was the first head to meet the ball but it was Malone who supplied the finish, nodding the ball into the net for her second goal of the game and her fourth for the season.
Galway WFC: Leah Hayes Cohen; Savannah McCarthy (Chloe Moloney 70), Shauna Fox, Ruth Fahy (Aoibheann Costello 70), Shauna Brennan; Elle O'Flaherty (Abbie Callanan 81), Lynsey McKey, Lucia Lobato, Therese Kinnevey, Sinead Donovan (Nicole McNamara 54); Aoife Thompson.
Subs not used: Elena van Niekerk, Julie-Ann Russell, Aoife Walsh, Maja Zajc.
Booked: None
DLR Waves: Eve Badana; Aoife Brophy (Nicole Keogh 85), Jessica Gleeson, Oleta Griffin, Niamh Prior; Jetta Berrill (Kerri Letmon 64), Shauna Carroll (Catherine Cronin 64), Fiona Donnelly, Rachel Doyle (Ciara Maher 85); Katie Malone, Carla McManus (Avril Brierley 78).
Subs not used: Rugile Auskalnyte, Katie Burdis, Rebekah Carroll, Jane Anne McKevitt.
Booked: None
Referee: Declan Toland
extratime.com Player of the Match: Katie Malone (DLR Waves)
