Roisin Phelan nails two-pointer to send Aghada and Gaultier to Munster final replay
Ahada’s Rachel Leahy bursts through the Gaultier defence. Picture: Noel Sweeney
Aghada and Gaultier will have to meet again as they finished level in their AIB Munster Ladies Football Senior A championship final clash at Mallow on Sunday.
Aghada can thank their former Cork star, Roisin Phelan, as she kicked a two-point free with the last shot of the match to take it to a replay.
Aghada started the brighter of the two sides and were in on goal in the first minute, when Mary Leahy played Abigail Ring in. But the Gaultier keeper, Grace Geraghty, managed to get her fingertips to the ball and clear the danger.
Gaultier took the lead after four minutes when one of their Waterford inter-county players, Annie Fitzgerald, pointed.
Aghada had another goal chance after five minutes but again Geraghty came to her side’s rescue, this time denying Clare Walsh.
Rachel Leahy got Aghada’s first point to see the sides level, before Clodagh Carroll put the Waterford champions back in front.
Aghada then had their keeper, Sarah Walsh, to thank as she denied Katie Desmond a goal, to see it remain 0-2 to 0-1.
Emma Fitzgerald pointed for Gaultier before we had the game’s first goal.
Brianna Smith burst through the Gaultier defence to fire an unstoppable shot to the roof of the net, to make it 1-1 to 0-3.
A free from Emma Fitzgerald had the sides level, before Gaultier had Geraghty to thank again, this time denying Mary Leahy.
Fitzgerald put her side back in front, before Abigail Ring equalised from a free. From the restart Rachel Leahy got her second point, to make it 1-3 to 0-5 after 21 minutes.
Again, Gaultier responded, with Annie Fitzgerald and Roisin Kirwan scoring to restore their lead, 0-7 to 1-3.
Just before the break, Aghada had one last attack, with Roisin Phelan playing Kaitlin Smith in. She was fouled by Erin Butler and the referee had no hesitation in awarding Aghada a penalty.
Phelan stepped up to slot home to see the Cork side lead by 2-3 to 0-7.
Butler was also sin-binned for the tackle which saw Gaultier play the first 10 minutes of the second half down a player. Ring got the first score of the second half when she converted a free after 33 minutes.
Leahy added another for Aghada, with Ali Ferguson replying for Gaultier. Ring was on target again, with Emma Fitzgerald keeping her side in the game with a point at the other end.
Phelan made it 2-7 to 0-9 before Gaultier were back in contention.
Emma Fitzgerald set up Aoife Power to goal to put a point between the sides and with 42 minutes gone the former scored from a free to level it, 2-7 to 1-10.
Emma Farmer, just on as a sub, pointed for Aghada, with Leahy and Kaitlin Smith also scoring to put three between them again, 2-10 to 1-10.
But with 54 minutes gone Gaultier were back on level terms when Annie Fitzgerald scored a top-class goal and all to pay for in the final few minutes.
Emma Fitzgerald put Gaultier in front, with three minutes remaining and she set up Power to point as the Waterford side took a two-point lead with minutes remaining.
Another free from Fitzgerald made it a three-point lead, before Ring pulled a point back for Aghada.
With the last shot of the game, Phelan hit a two-pointer to what was expected to be extra time.
With the fog coming in, the referee deemed it unsafe to play on so it is now going to a replay.
Details will be finalised in the next few days but the Waterford side are in the Munster camogie final next Saturday against St Finbarr's, which adds a complication to the replay.
R Phelan 1-3 (1-0 pen, 1 tpt), A Ring (0-2 f), R Leahy 0-4 each, B Smith 1-0, E Farmer, K Smith 0-1 each.
E Fitzgerald 0-7 (0-3 f), A Fitzgerald 1-2, A Power 1-1, C Carroll, R Kirwan, A Ferguson 0-1 each.
S Walsh; K O’Farrell, S McAllister, M McRae; A Coughlan, Y Burgoyne, A Smith; R Phelan, S Leahy; M Leahy, R Leahy, B Smith; A Ring, C Walsh, K Smith.
E Farmer for A Smith (39), A Cooper for Y Burgoyne (46),
G Geraghty; M De Poar, S Fitzgerald, E Butler; A O’Sullivan, C Carroll, E Campbell; A Ferguson, A Power; R Kirwan, M Sheridan, A Fitzgerald; M Comerford, E Fitzgerald, K Desmond.
C Flynn for R Kirwan (51), A Desmond for A Ferguson (58), C Cahill for M Sheridan (60),
John Purcell (Kerry).
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