WOMEN'S FOOTBALL ALL-IRELAND SCHOOLS FINALS:ST LEO'S College, Carlow, were crowned All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior A champions for the second time in four seasons at Longford's Pearse Park on Saturday following a 3-7 to 2-9 victory over Loreto Grammar School from Omagh.
Thirteen-year-old Lauren Dwyer kicked the winning score almost two minutes into stoppage-time as the Tyrone outfit were defeated by just a single point in a dramatic decider.
St Leo’s last won the senior A title in 2007 and there was also revenge in the air for the Carlow girls after they lost out to Loreto in last year’s junior decider.
Loreto were seven points down with 20 minutes remaining, but two goals in a minute from full forward Eva Hicks put the Ulster kingpins a point clear, 3-5 to 2-9.
The impressive Sinéad Doogue hit back with a well-taken free to level the game heading into stoppage time before substitute Dwyer had the final say.
It was heartbreak for Tyrone in the All-Ireland B final also, with Mayo’s Mount St Michael from Claremorris capturing the title for the first time with a 1-15 to 2-5 victory over St Patrick’s Academy, Dungannon in the curtain-raiser in Longford.
Rebecca Kean scored 0-5 and Aoife Hyland collected 1-2 as the westerners won the battle of the first-time finalists to claim an historic triumph. Mount St Michael selector Fr Mike Murphy worked the oracle again with a Mayo team after inspiring St Joseph’s Castlebar to All-Ireland B and C glory in recent years.
In the weekend’s C decider at Croagh in Limerick, a tally of 4-4 from full forward Máiréad O’Driscoll helped Mercy Heights of Skibbereen to a 6-11 to 4-14 win over Scoil Mhuire, Strokestown.
