WYW v Galway

[ForzaForth]

Given the circumstances of the game, Wexford will be happy enough with a point yesterday against Galway, although they would have been hoping for all three before the game started. With exams happily over, Wexford were returning to more or less their full complement, excluding injuries, and started with Maeve, Meabh, Nicola, Lolly, Edel, Ciara, Freya DeM, Aoibheann, Ellen, Becky and Kylie. Although Wexford fared slightly the better from the whistle, it was clear from early on that both defences, who played excellently, were dominant and that this would not be a high-scoring game. First decent effort on goal was on ten minutes when Wexford’s Kylie Murphy had a shot which Ronayne in the Galway goal just managed to tip onto her own crossbar. On the half-hour mark, Galway won two successive corners and, from the second, the Wexford defence just about managed to clear the ball away from danger. Three minutes later, Ronayne had to stretch to push away a free by Ellen Molloy. Wexford finished the half with a number of corners but again failed to really endanger the Galway goal. 0-0 at half-time.

[ForzaForth]

The second half started with Galway’s Russell having a cross which almost defeated Maeve Williams in the Wexford goal and then Williams had to prevent a good Galway chance by grabbing the ball at the second attempt. With five minutes gone, Becky Watkins had a shot for Wexford which just clipped the top of the Galway crossbar. Wexford's two great chances came around the quarter-hour mark when two players had first-time chances very close to the Galway goal, but one went over and the second was hit straight at Ronayne. Teegan Lynch then came on for Wexford and later Grace Fitzpatrick Ryan and Aine Walsh. Galway’s delivery from set-pieces had been excellent all day and, with a few minutes to go, a good free was flicked on at the near post by Lucia Lobato to put Galway ahread. Wexford were staring at the abyss at this stage but, in early injury time, the ball fell to Nicola Sinnott after a Wexford corner, and she drove it through a crowded area to equalise for Wexford. 1-1 now and it needed Maeve Williams to immediately prevent a Galway winner with an impressive save from a Galway forward in the clear. 1-1 at full-time with all defenders having good games for both sides and with Aoibheann Clancy and Ciara Rossiter playing well further forward for Wexford and Julie Ann Russell for Galway.