U10 Larne vs Ballynahinch Olympic
Our 2010 squad faced a tough morning back following their Christmas break against a strong Ballynahinch Olympic side. A slow start by Larne meant that the girls found themselves three goals down early in the game, before the team got into the rhythm which resulted in a more competitive match.
As the young Inver Reds enjoyed more possession, confidence began to grow and the team began passing their way out from the back and Amelia, an ever willing runner in the midfield, began to create more chances.
Going into the second half, the girls put in a much better performance, finding the back of the net on two occasions via goals from Devonne and Megan.
U12 Larne vs Ballymena
Following the Christmas break, our U12 side were in action in a mini-Shanes Hill derby in which they started brightly, having most of the possession in the first half. While the team did a good job of turning their possession into clear cut chances the girls struggled to find the back of the net – partly down to some excellent defending by Ballymena and a strong goalkeeping display.
Larne’s patience was rewarded towards the end of the first half as Orla’s shot was saved by the opposition keeper, however Avannah was on hand to react quickly and ensure the rebound found the back of the net.
The Inver Reds continued to play well in the second half, with Sofia scoring a great goal into the top corner to double the lead until a lapse in concentration allowed Ballymena to pull a goal back.
Overall, coaches felt that the team may have deserved more goals for all of the possession they had, however it wasn’t through a lack of effort as every player worked really hard.
U13 Larne 9-1 St. Oliver Plunkett
From the pre-match warm up and game plan, the coaches felt the girls were focused and had their attention tuned in on delivering a strong performance at the weekend. The Inver Reds enjoyed lots of possession from the outset and the excellent movement from the players off the ball continued to cause problems for the opposition.
It wasn’t long before possession and chances turned into goals, Larne finding themselves 5-0 up at the interval. Despite their commanding lead, Larne started the second half slowly, however before long the team reignited their command on the game and added a further four goals before full-time.
U17 5-3 Lisburn Rangers – SBYL Divisional Cup semi-final
Our U17 squad progressed to the final of the SBYL Divisional Cup following an enthralling eight goal clash with Lisburn Rangers, which was played end to end for the full 70 minutes by both sides.
Larne were on the front foot for most of the first 20 minutes before a well-worked passing move was met with some real tenacity from Mia S saw her open the scoring to put the Inver Reds one ahead.
After taking the lead, the girls relaxed slightly which allowed Lisburn to cut through the midfield and defence much too easily. Despite some desperate defending by Larne, the opposition made their control of the game pay off as the ball skidded off their striker’s foot with enough pace to roll inside of the post and level the score.
Lisburn’s equaliser fired Larne back into action once again, and with five minutes of the half remaining Zara took aim from yards out to place the ball expertly over the keeper into the far top corner. As the referee blew the whistle for the break, Larne led 2-1.
In the second half, Lisburn weren’t giving up without a fight as the pushed forward, drawing a free-kick around 25 yards from goal. The resulting set-piece managed to bounce over everyone and into the top of the net, levelling the score once again.
Throughout the second half, Zara contributed with some brilliant work to win possession and feed the ball to Riley on the right wing who beat their defence time and time again to deliver some fantastic crosses into the box. It was via one of these pinpoint deliveries which put the Inver Reds ahead once again, as the ball landed to Mia S who tucked it home to secure a brace for herself.
Larne added a fourth shortly after, this time created down the left hand side as Mia O whipped the ball in to Riley who met the cross to create a two goal gap against the opposition. The two goal lead didn’t last long, as Lisburn pulled one back to make the score 4-3 before Larne sealed victory with the last kick of the game – Mia O breaking through the defensive line to slot past the goalkeeper to send her team into the final.
