McLaughlin’s double fires Loreto to glory

ALL-ROUND star Geraldine McLaughlin bagged a brace yesterday at Tolka Park to secure a first Umbro FAIS Senior Girls title for Loreto Secondary School since 1991.

The midfielder, one of Donegal’s GAA starlets, was Loreto’s hat-trick heroine from their 3-2 semi-final win over Sligo’s Ursuline and put on another match-winning display in the final. All three goals came in the first half with Áine Bennett firing Eureka into a 12th minute lead, latching onto a Shianne Swarres pass and drilling a low shot into the bottom left corner from an acute angle. McLaughlin equalised nine minutes later, finishing off a flowing move that involved Amy Thompson and Ciara Grant before she found the net with a rising shot from the edge of the penalty area.

The midfielder then netted the winner on 33 minutes with a long-range free kick. Loreto thought they had extended their advantage five minutes from time when sub Alice Diver smashed the ball home from 20 yards but referee Marie Ward disallowed the strike for offside.

LORETO SS: M B O’Donnell; E Gallagher, M Carr, K McKinney, N Crawford; A Thompson, L Harper (R Boyle (75), C Grant, N Sweeney (A Diver (52); M Doherty, G McLaughlin.

EUREKA SS: J Newman; N O’Keefe, R Goodwin (Fagan h/t — E Olwill 64), O Duff, R McFadden; K Allen, J Byrne, J Kavanagh, S Swarres; L Newman, A Bennett.

Referee: Marie Ward (Dublin).