RCC 4 – 2 Templemicheal
On Monday the 22nd of January our U17 boys’ soccer team played Templemicheal College in a West Leinster Division 3 semifinal match in Lisnamult Community Sports Park. The tactic early on from RCC was to test the Templemicheal goalkeeper with shots from distance, and this paid off in the 8th minute of the match when RCC took the lead when Rory Connolly cut in from the left wing and buried the ball into the top right-hand corner of the net with his shot from outside the box. RCC couldn’t keep out Templemicheal forever and in the 17th minute of the match they equalised to level the game with a shot of their own from outside the RCC box. RCC tried to go back in front, but the whistle was blown for half time with scoreline remaining 1-1 with it all to play for in the second half.
RCC came out into the second half turned with a renewed purpose, but it wasn’t until the 77th minute when RCC got their second goal of the game when Marc Shally raced onto sub Eoghan Morris’s through ball and rounded the Templemicheal goalkeeper producing a low shot into the bottom corner of the net from a tight angle. RCC went further ahead in the 78th minute with a crucial goal from Luke Shally who found himself one on one with the Templemicheal goalkeeper and buried the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the net. Templemicheal pushed forward scoring a goal of their own in the 80th minute of the match after a scramble in the RCC box from a freekick. This set up a grandstand finish to the game, but RCC nerves were settled in the 83rd minute when Evan McNeill made sure there was no late comeback by Templemicheal. McNeill raced through on goal but was taken out by the Templemicheal defender just as he was ready to take his shot. A penalty was awarded and the Templemicheal defender was shown a straight red card. McNeill stepped up and placed the ball beautifully into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. The referee blew the full-time whistle queuing RCC celebrations as they had secured their place in the final. The boys will now face Ballymahon VS in the final in a few weeks’ time.