It's a new season but the same from Shelbourne as they opened their Women’s National League campaign with a thumping victory over Cork City at Tolka Park.
The champions picked themselves up from last week’s Presidents Cup defeat to Athlone Town with Megan Smyth-Lynch and Kayla Hamric both scoring twice, while Siobhan Killeen and debutant Rebecca Devereux got one each on the day they lifted the flag to mark their 2022 league title.
This was all done in front of a sizable home crowd, who witnessed a well-organised Cork go down to a Shelbourne unit that picked up exactly where they left off last year.
They Reds didn't look like a team at the start of the season, they were direct and almost scored inside the first ten minutes through Smyth-Lynch but her shot deflected inside the area and hit the crossbar.
It took some time for Shelbourne to work out how to make things happen in the final third as City were organised with a disciplined back three of Ciara McNamara, Heidi Mackin, and Daniele Burke.
Their work was complemented by goalkeeper Abby McCarthy, who pulled off an excellent string of saves to deny Smyth-Lynch on a number of occasions.
This all built up to Hamric picking out Killeen with a cross-field pass and she beat two defenders before finishing neatly across the face of goal.
City tried to get an instant equaliser and it almost paid off when Courtney Maguire spilled a cross from Eva Mangan and the loose ball went to Aoibhin Donnelly who had a close-range shot blocked by the Shelbourne defence.
As is the way in football, such an advance led to space at the back and Noelle Murray managed to find Smyth-Lynch. She then dinked the ball over the City goalkeeper and that doubled Shelbourne's lead in the final minutes of the first half.
Her second of the game, just after the break, was almost identical as she chipped it up and over McCarthy.
The Reds had a three-goal cushion and their push for more led to a superb solo goal by Hamric that saw her beat three City defenders and roll the ball in.
They were cruising, delivering a performance of champions, and they completed their afternoon with two goals in the final 15 minutes.
Hamric’s second came from a good save by McCarthy that rolled the ball back to Shelbourne. Her shot from just outside the area deflected in, and that was her second of the game.
Devereux marked her Shelbourne debut by running through the centre and finishing neatly with a low ball that went beyond the reach of the City goalkeeper.
🎥 | Give Ciara Rossiter the ball, and she will finish 👊#LOI | #GALWEX pic.twitter.com/2Yv6nCv6Kq
— LOI Women (@LoiWomen) March 4, 2023
Elsewhere on Saturday, Ciara Rossiter scored an 80th-minute winner as Wexford Youths defeated Galway United 1-0 at Eamonn Deacy Park.
Peamount United came from behind to beat Athlone Town 3-1 while Rachel Doyle's 60th-minute strike gave Bohemians a 1-0 victory at Treaty United.
Aine O'Gorman struck a dramatic 93rd-minute winner at the Showgrounds as Shamrock Rovers got their return to the League of Ireland off to a winning start as they beat Sligo Rovers 2-1.
Shelbourne: Courtney Maguire; Keeva Keenan, Jessie Stapleton, Pearl Slattery, Alex Kavanagh (Sophie Watters 76), Siobhan Killeen (Taylor White 69), Rachel Graham (Jenaya Roberton 69), Noelle Murray (Rebecca Devereux 76), Megan-Smyth Lynch, Margret Pierce (Ruvimbo Mucherera 69), Kayla Hamric.
Cork City: Abby McCarthy; Danielle Burke, Ciara McNamara, Kelly Leahy (Christina Dring 69), Erika Manfre (Fiana Bradley 69), Eva Mangan, Aoibhin Donnelly (Alix Mendez 54), Laura Shine (Chloe Atkinson 69), Heidi Mackin, Jesse Mendez, Lauren Singleton (Ellie O’Brien 54).
Referee: Robert Dowling.
