By Stephanie Bergin

Naas 4-12
St Brigids 1-11

U16 Division 1 League Naas v St Brigids

This round 1 match which had been postponed due to inclement weather at the onset of the league was eagerly awaited as the last encounter in Division2 u15 final last autumn proved to be a very competitive match. Both teams earned promotion to Division 1 and have been very successful in their matches to date. Naas had home advantage and both teams enjoyed playing under lights on the expansive main pitch in Naas. The supporters were not disappointed as they were treated to a very lively ,exciting and spirited performance by both teams. The visitors St Brigids opened the scoring with a point from Samantha Cullen but Naas promptly replied with a point from Katie Loughran followed by a goal from Mary Creaton . Naas built up a four point lead and their forwards linked up very effectively and they converted their possession into valuable scores with points from Georgia Mc Holmes and Amy Carberry. St Brigids did not yield to the pressure and began to chip away at the Naas lead leaving a solitary point between the teams as Niamh Bergin at full forward scored a point before the interval.The half time score was Naas 2-05 St Brigids 1-07.
Naas resumed the second half , determined not to relinquish their lead, as centre back Amy Jones found the back of the net . The Naas defence worked very diligently and counteracted the constant attacks by the opposing forwards and made it difficult for them to put points on the board. Georgina Kelly marshalled her goal very well but was ably assisted by her full back Aislinn Ahearne and corner backs Molly Ryan and Clodagh Plunkett respectively. The half back line were confidently attacking as was demonstrated by Kelly Perkins who broke through the St Brigids' defence and scored a fine point while Maria Doyle solidly defended her position. St Brigids replied with points from Katie Quigley and her fellow forwards tried very hard to enhance their scoreline with end to end action but Naas forwards continued to surge forward due to the trojan work of their mid field Brianne Reilly, Kate Coffey and Laura Messitt . Naas , following a swift passing movement , had a shot rebound off the crossbar only to fall into the path of Niamh Bergin who duly slotted it into the back of the net.Katie Loughran added the final point to end the scoring on the night. Naas ' victory was a superb team effort with all the team working for each other. Both teams deserve great credit for a most entertaining and exciting match enjoyed by a large number of supporters from each club; very heartening and encouraging for players and mentors alike. The St Brigids' team produced many fine performances but particular mention should be given to Ellie O Toole, Samantha Cullen and Nancy Murphy in the forwards while Grace OToole, Lisa Aspell and Laura Quigley worked extremely hard in defence. Naas : Katie Loughran 1-3 Niamh Bergin 1-2 Mary Creaton 1-2 Amy Jones 1-0 Georgia Mc Holmes 0-2 Amy Carberry 0-2 Kelly Perkins 0-1. Tweet

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