Senior League 1: North Down Ladies 5-1 Ballymena Ladies
CONNIE Magee scored twice as North Down’s ladies earned their first win of the season with victory over Ballymena at a wet Comber Leisure Centre.
It didn’t take long for the game to spring into life with a quick green card shown to Sophie Leckie for failing to give five yards, swiftly followed by a yellow for her younger sister, Tara, for the same offence, leaving North Down temporarily down to nine players.
Despite the setback, North Down struck first. Returning from her suspension, Sophie Leckie made an immediate impact, firing a clinical strike into the bottom left corner to lift spirits. The first quarter ended with North Down in front.
Early in the second quarter, North Down doubled their advantage. A well-worked short corner saw the initial shot saved, but Gabby Scates reacted quickest to the rebound to make it 2–0.
Refusing to sit on their lead, they went further ahead when the Ballymena ’keeper’s clearance fell to Connie Magee at the top of the circle and after seeing her first attempt blocked, she turned onto her reverse and sent the ball looping over the defence and into the net with a piece of great skill.
As the rain stopped but the pitch remained heavy, both sides battled against a slow ball. Ballymena tried to break through with long, powerful hits, but centre-back Jenna Pliauga was rock solid, cutting out attacks and launching counters. One such move found Caitlyn Taylor, who produced a clever flick past the ’keeper to extend the lead to 4–0.
Ballymena pushed hard for a route back into the game, but North goalkeeper Kathryn McGregor produced several brilliant saves to keep her clean sheet intact. The North Down defence and midfield linked well, recycling possession and keeping Ballymena under pressure.
North Down’s momentum continued from a long corner when Anna Crooks spotted the unmarked run of Caitlyn Adair from centre-back. A neat one-two with Magee opened space at the top of the circle with Magee finishing decisively for her second goal of the day.
Ballymena, to their credit, kept fighting and were rewarded late on via a well-executed short corner. However, it was too little too late, as North Down secured a convincing 5–1 victory.
