February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The Bronx Irish League Women’s Cup final will pit the Southbend and the Starting Gate Harps after they successfully negotiated their respective semifinal hurdles.
Southbend waited until penalty kicks to pull off a surprise 3-1 win against the in-form Parlour Moms. The Parlour Moms made amends for a scoreless first half when they took the lead in the second half through a superb shot from Dinsiri Fikuri. However, the Southbend fought back and despite having the lion’s share of the play were apparently unable to salvage the game. However, on the stroke of full time a corner from Aibhlish Dineen was booted to the net by Monica Shevlin giving the Southbend a last-gasp equalizer. Extra time beckoned and then penalties when neither team broke the deadlock. Here the Southbend proved more adept at both saving and scoring. Ann Murray ably deputized in nets for the absent Alison Lineen saving twice while Maree Maloney converted the final pressure kick.
The Starting Gate Harps, meanwhile, waited until extra time to score against rivals Fionas and then smacked in three without reply, ending the Bronx women’s challenge. These teams always produce an entertaining encounter and this was no exception, with chances on both sides going abegging. Ann Carr and Karen Shalvey, well fed by passes from Pauline Dillon, tormented Fiona’s defense without much to show for the efforts until extra time, when Carr finally smacked one past Ger Mahon. This was followed by Carr’s second, when she converted a penalty awarded for a handball infraction. The best efforts of Aaron Tracy and Marie Curran to resurrect Fionas drew a blank and Shalvey capped the win with an opportunistic goal at the end.
Saturday is League final day where The Starting Gate Harps will provide a preview of the Cup final when they play the Southbend in the Shield final at 10 a.m. The battle for the league title kicks off at 11:30 a.m. when the Parlour Moms take on Fiona’s. After a great season, the Parlour Moms will be gunning for a title to show for their efforts. They could well be rewarded if they stick to their passing game, a challenging task against the experienced opposition.