Mons womens news June 13 2006

NO WALK IN THE PARK FOR VILLA! (Courtesy of www.monaghanunited.ie)

Monaghan United Ladies made it 2 wins from 2 games in the league in a hard-fought win over Navan side Parkvilla at Century Homes Park on Sunday. Three times United took the lead and three times Parkvilla responded with an equaliser, before second-half goals from Charlene Graham and Jacinta Treanor earned the win for United.

United's first goal came when a clever back-heel released Suzanne Gordon in the penalty area and her cross-cum-shot was steered home by Jacinta Treanor.
However, Parkvilla responded when they broke quickly following a United corner and with goalkeeper Michelle Gillanders undecided whether to come out to try and intercept a long through-ball, their young number 10 finished well.
United's 2nd came when Orla Callan powered home a header from Charlene Graham's free kick from the right. Parkvilla responded with another well-taken goal which floated over the head of Gillanders in the United goal.

With Suzanne Gordon's clever running off-the-ball and Charlene Graham releasing her from the left, United were causing the Parkvilla defence a lot of trouble. The third goal came when Orla Callan pounced on a rebound and scored with a sweetly struck shot from the edge of the area into the bottom corner.
However, yet again Parkvilla came back, this time with a penalty which was correctly awarded by referee Seamus Finnegan although a soft one for United to concede. Half-time score 3-3.

The second-half started with United reverting to a 3-5-2 formation, with Suzanne Gordon playing in the back three to help deal with the long balls which had been causing trouble in the United defence. It is a measure of how much the ladies have learned in the past months that they were easily able to adapt to the new formation. Michaela Newell came on for Nwaaneka Chembueka on the right side of midfield and had an impressive second half.

United survived an early scare with a low shot flying just wide of the post. They had some good chances before breaking the deadlock. Orla Callan beat the Parkvilla offside trap before unleashing a shot that hammered off the bar. Charlene Graham in support picked up the rebound and finished calmly.

In the closing minutes a speedy run down the right from the Jacinta Treanor was finished with a superb low shot to leave the final score Monaghan United 5 Parkvilla 3.

This was a tough test for the ladies in hot conditions and they will have learned a lot from the game. Manager Liam McCarey said after the game "it was a tough game, we didn't play well but we grinded out the result. The first half we just couldn't cope with the long balls. In the end I am happy to have got the 3 points."

DUNDALK NEXT ON WOMEN’S HITLIST
Monaghan United’s women’s team take on Dundalk FC B team at Oriel Park on Monday night with a 7.15 kick off. This will be Monaghan’s first away game in the league and their first time to play on the synthetic surface at Oriel Park. Dundalk are currently second from bottom of the league having only won one of their 4 matches this season. Monaghan are currently chasing Drogheda United for first place with the Mons having a game in hand over their Louth counterparts.

SINGING WHILE SHE’S WINNING

United’s Jacinta Treanor shows that not only is she talented on the pitch but also on the stage when the band she co-fronts with her sister, “Sugar Rush”, release their new single in the coming weeks. Jacinta opened the scoring for Monaghan United Ladies against Parkvilla last Sunday and followed up with another goal later in the game to seal a 5-3 victory against the Navan side. Good luck with the single release Jacinta & Co!