UCD Waves continued their 100 per cent start to the season with a solid 2-0 victory over a resilient Castlebar Celtic side today.
Waves found Celtic a hard nut to crack, before Dora Gorman's 30-yard drive smashed off the crossbar on 42 minutes and Aine O’Gorman following up to knock home the opener.
The home side doubled their advantage eight minutes after the break, Caroline Thorpe controlling Julie-Ann Russell’s cross on her chest, before sliding the ball past Celtic keeper Rachel King.
Orla Devaney suffered a bad injury midway through the second half, adding a total of 15 minutes onto the game.
Shannon Jackson took advantage of slack Waves defending 11 minutes into stoppage time to pull one back but it turned out to only be a consolation goal.
Meanwhile, birthday girl Katie McCabe grabbed a hat-trick as champions Raheny United secured a 5-2 victory away to Wexford Youths.
McCabe opened the scoring for the Pandas after five minutes, with Becky Cashin levelling the tie 10 minutes before the break.
Noelle Murray grabbed two after the hour mark with McCabe added two more with strikes after 86 and 90 minutes. Kylie Murphy pulled one back for Youths to finish a high-scoring encounter.
Elsewhere, an Eleanor Ryan-Doyle hat-trick saw Peamount pick up their second win of the campaign at home to Cork City Women’s FC.
Ryan-Doyle pounced after 15 minutes before Katie McCarthy grabbed City’s first goal of the season and the first by any Cork women’s player since October 2013.
Doyle completed her hat-trick with 74th and 86th minute strikes with Kim Turner rounding off the scoring in the final minute.
