Page 26 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.32 2022-23

It has been a busy few days in the Sports Direct NI Women’s Premiership with most of the teams
in action twice.
Glentoran hold on to the early leadership after beating Larne Women 7-0. Kerry Beattie,
Nadene Caldwell and Caragh Hamilton were all on target twice for the Glens, with Joely Andrews
adding the other.
Cliftonville Ladies lie second as they also scored seven times against Mid Ulster Ladies.
Fionnula Morgan and Caitlin McGuinness both bagged braces, whilst the others came from Abbie
Magee, Hannah Doherty and an own goal.
Sion Swifts are the other team still
sporting a 100% record following their 3-1 P W D L F A Pts GD
victory over Lisburn Ladies. Teegan GLENTORAN 3 3 0 0 24 0 9 24
Lynch, Caoirse Doherty and Saoirse Healey CLIFTONVILLE LADIES 3 3 0 0 19 0 9 19
scored the goals for Sion, with Jemma SION SWIFTS 3 3 0 0 16 1 9 15
White replying. LINFIELD LADIES 4 3 0 1 18 6 9 12
CRUSADERS STRIKERS 4 3 0 1 15 5 9 10
It has been a good week for Linfield
LISBURN LADIES 4 2 1 1 10 7 7 3
Ladies as they notched up two victories to MID ULSTER LADIES 4 0 1 3 1 19 1 -18
take themselves level on points with the BALLYMENA UTD WOMEN 4 0 0 4 1 17 0 -16
leading sides. On Friday night they LARNE WOMEN 3 0 0 3 2 19 0 -17
defeated Ballymena Utd Women 5-0, DERRY CITY 4 0 0 4 1 33 0 -32
courtesy of a goal apiece from Keri Cliftonville 3 Mid Ulster 0; Larne 0 Glentoran 7; Linfield 5 Ballymena
Halliday, Rachel Kerr, Emily Reid, 0; Sion 3 Lisburn 1. (Mid) Ballymena 1 Lisburn 3; Derry 1 Linfield 8;
Rhyleigh Marks and Sarah-Jane McMaster. Mid Ulster 0 Crusaders 5.
Linfield followed this up by beating Derry
City 8-1, Ebony Lackey and Carla Devine both hitting hat-tricks with Rebecca Bassett and Mia
Fitzsimmons also getting on the scoresheet.
Crusaders Strikers returned to action on Wednesday night with a 5-0 success away to Mid
Ulster Ladies, which means that there are five teams which are now level on nine points. Morganne
Beggs and Amy McGivern put the Crues two ahead inside the opening twenty minutes and they
went on to add further goals in the second half through Beth Chalmers, Jessica Rea and Cora
Morgan.
Lisburn Ladies have got off to a good start overall in their first season following promotion
and they bounced back from defeat to Sion with a 3-1 victory away to Ballymena Utd Women, which
leaves them just two points behind the leading quintet. Ballymena did take a first half lead through
Megan Henry but Vivienne McCormack equalised just before half time and second half goals from
Aisling Cull and Stacey Murdough gave Lisburn the points.

Women's football was undoubtedly the winner on Thursday night when the first ever Her Game
Too Shield took place between Rotherham United and Mansfield Town at AESSEAL New York
Stadium - a clash which the hosts prevailed as victors in on penalties.
A winner from the inaugural match - and one that we hope becomes a staple of the football
calender - was undecided after 90 minutes as the Millers played out a goalless, but entertaining,
draw at the club's first team stadium before keeping their nerve in the shootout to lift the shield.
After a deluge of rain throughout the day the weather cleared in the evening to set the scene
nicely for the first ever Rotherham United Women’s fixture to take place at AESSEAL New York
Stadium – with the Thursday evening action also marking the inauguration of the #HerGameToo
Shield. A bumper crowd of 1,124 people gathered inside the Millers first team stadium to be a part
of a legacy for the women’s game which has continued to flourish since the UEFA Women’s EUROs
were hosted here last summer.
The first chance of note came for the Millers after 12 minutes had elapsed when Molly Corke
picked out the run of Lauren Winter who fired an effort just wide of the Mansfield goal. The Stags
were quick to reply with an opportunity of their own when they forced RUWFC ‘keeper Georgia
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