Result RCC 4:0 Columbia College
Our U17 Junior boys’ soccer team kicked off their West Leinster League campaign with a home game at Roscommon Community Sports Park against Columbia College on Wednesday the 8th of November. RCC started the game on the front foot and after a foul was committed on RCC striker Cian Hayes just outside the Columba’s box it meant RCC had a free kick in a very dangerous position. Anthony Cox took the resulting free kick and was inches away from giving RCC a one nil lead with his shot just narrowly missing the top right-hand corner of the Columba net.
RCC finally got the breakthrough they were looking for in the 32nd minute when Anthony Cox took a quick throw in down the right hand side to striker Oisin Kelly who played a pass to Evan McNeill who decided to have a shot on goal but the Columbia goalkeeper saved the initial shot but the rebound came to Rory Connolly who played in Oisin Kelly who had his first shot saved but scored the rebound by producing a low shot into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
In the second half RCC after an unsuccessful Columbia attack Conor Carely picked the ball up in midfield and played a great through ball into Rory Connolly down the left wing. Rory beat two of the Columbia defenders to put himself one on one with the Columbia goalkeeper and from a tight angle produced a savage goal by scoring with the outside of his right boot into the top left-hand corner of the net. The crucial moment of the match came in the 60th minute when Evan McNeill gave away a controversial penalty for hand ball. The Columbia number 10 stepped forward to try and get his team back in the game, but RCC goalkeeper Nathan Flynn made a great diving save to his right to deny Columbia of any chance of getting back in the game.
In the 73rd minute Anthony Cox scored the goal of the game by chipping the Columbia keeper from outside the box from 25 yards out. RCC nearly went further ahead when Eoghan Morris nearly scored a great goal but instead his outside of the box volley was saved by quick reactions from the Columbia goalkeeper. In the 84th minute RCC sealed their first three points of the campaign when Nathan Flynn launched a ball into the opponent’s half where it was picked up by Evan McNeill who went one on one with the Columbia goalkeeper and finished with a beautiful strike into the left-hand side of the net adding RCC’s 4th goal of the day. This was an impressive victory for the boys considering it was their first time to play a competitive soccer match together.
Squad: Nathan Flynn, Caileann Sheridan, Jack Hayes, Pierce Fannon, Callum Leech, Rory Connolly, Conor Carley, Anthony Cox, Evan Mc Neill, Oisin Kelly, Cian Hayes, Joshua Donlon, Eoghan Morris, Jamie Lohan, David Glancy, William Staunton
Anthony Cox lines up his free kick that goes narrowly wide.
