Peamount 2-1 Shelbourne
First half goals from Eleanor Ryan-Doyle and Aine O'Gorman saw Peamount edge out title rivals Shelbourne on a 2-1 score line in PRL Park.
The opening quarter of the game was played at an impressive pace with both sides sounding each other out in search of the opener.
Ciara Grant almost found Emily Whelan for the first chance of the game with an intelligent diagonal ball across the box but just put too much on it in the end.
Shelbourne were impressive on the ball as they pushed hard for the opener putting the hosts under increasing pressure at the back.
Naoise McAloon had to be sharp on seventeen minutes when Mia Dodd hit a powerful shot from distance but it was always rising before clearing the bar.
That seemed to be the wake up call that Peamount needed. O’Gorman began finding a lot more space down the right wing with her probing crosses asking real questions of the Shelbourne defence.
Della Doherty went close on twenty minutes with a glancing header just wide of the post from a corner before the busy Eleanor Ryan-Doyle put Peamount in front.
Ireland internationals O’Gorman and Roche linked up brilliantly in the build up before Ryan Doyle got on the end of another brilliant O’Gorman cross to bundle the ball into the net from close range.
Ryan -Doyle had the chance to double the Pea’s lead from the penalty spot five minutes later after only to be denied by a fantastic Amanda Budden save to her left.
The impressive Aine O’Gorman did double their lead as the half time whistle neared leading by example once more. The Peamount captain hit a fantastic volley on the bounce following a goalmouth scramble with her effort flying past Budden.
Shelbourne’s start to the second half was identical to the first with all of the possession and some lovely passages of play in the middle of the pitch but that final pass just could not be found.
The goal did come on seventy five minutes courtesy of Ciara Grant. The initial shot from Whelan was parried back out to Grant who was sharp enough to pounce for one back.
In what was a fantastic advertisement for the WNL Shelbourne pushed hard for their equaliser deep into the second half but the Peamount defence held firm to secure a very important three points.
Peamount United: Naoisha McAloon; Dearbhaile Beirne, Della Doherty, Lauryn O’Callaghan, Claire Walsh; Karen Duggan, Lucy McCartan, Aine O’Gorman, Megan Smyth-Lynch (Becky Watkins 7); Stephanie Roche (Sadhbh Doyle 74), Eleanor Ryan-Doyle (Tiegan Ruddy 53)
Shelbourne: Amanda Budden; Jessica Gargan, Mia Dodd (Noelle Murray 61), Pearl Slattery, Jessie Stapleton; Ciara Grant, Rachael Graham, Jamie Finn, Jessica Ziu; Saoirse Noonan, Emily Whelan
