Donaghadee Ladies 2
NICS Ladies 1
DONAGHADEE Ladies secured their place in the Senior 2 division when they edged to victory over Civil Service Ladies in their penultimate match of the season.
Rising to the occasion, the team delivered a composed performance to secure the win and give departing coach Willie McAdam a perfect send-off in what was the last home game of the campaign.
From the first whistle, Donaghadee took control of the contest, applying relentless pressure and dictating the pace, and their dominance in the attacking third soon paid off during a well-worked penalty corner.
A deflected shot was heading for the back of the net, before it was illegally stopped on the line by a Civil Service defender. The umpire had no hesitation in pointing to the spot to award a penalty stroke.
Up stepped Rachelle Pearson, who showed no nerves to calmly convert, scoring her first goal for the club and giving Donaghadee a well-deserved lead.
To their credit, Civil Service fought their way back into the match and managed to find an equaliser against the run of play, threatening to spoil the party.
However, the ‘Dee heads did not drop. They continued to press for the winner, and their determination was rewarded with a moment of individual skill.
Kerry found herself in space and unleashed a fierce reverse stick shot, powering the ball through the stick of the visiting goalkeeper and finding the top corner of the net to restore Donaghadee’s lead.
The squad held their nerve for the remainder of the game, putting in a gritty and unified shift to see out the victory.
The final whistle brought relief, with the team securing their hard-fought Senior 2 status with one game remaining – no mean feat given the run of injuries and unavailability of numerous players since Christmas.
Thanks to the two Ulster Hockey umpires for their officiating, and to NI Building Surveys for sponsoring the match ball.
The team has one more league match to go, with a trip to Limavady scheduled for Saturday, April 11.
