Donegal bounce back to pick up the victory over Westmeath

Donegal ladies bounced back from last weekend’s loss to Kildare to pick up a second league win over Westmeath in Letterkenny. 
Donegal 1-9 Westmeath 1-3

John McNulty’s charges - who defeated Laois first day out - held a 0-5 to 0-1 lead at the changeover and even though the visitors would nail a maximum in the second-half, the hosts would also find the net and, in the end, were full value in adding another three points to the Lidl Ladies Division 2 board. 

In dreadful conditions at O’Donnell Park, it was Donegal that eventually managed to open the scoring on ten minutes thanks to Eva Gallagher. 

With the stiff breeze blowing across the park, Westmeath squared matters on the quarter-hour mark as Anna Jones dissected the posts. 

Two minutes later, the hosts once again found the front foot when Nicole Gordon’s smart ball in over the top allowed Katie Dowds to kick over. Six minutes out from the break and Donegal doubled their advantage thanks to a Susanne White free. 

And with Dowds immediately following that up with her second of the game, Donegal led 0-4 to 0-1 25 minutes in. 

With AFLW star Niamh McLaughlin pulling the strings for the hosts, she again picked a gaping hole in between the Westmeath defensive lines and with Caoimhe Keon teeing up Gordon, the deficit stretched to four at the half-time break. 

With little let-up in terms of the wind and rain, it took some time for the second period to find any kind of real rhythm. 

Westmeath replacement Sarah Dillon almost caught Clare Friel out when she intercepted a wayward dispatch. However, it would take until the midpoint of the new stanza for a flag of any description to be raised when as Vicky Carr made it 0-5 to 0-2. 

Donegal were back in business moments later as Gordon got up from the half back line to grab her second. Westmeath’s task became even more arduous when Meadbh Monaghan was sent to the sinbin for a high intervention on Gordon. 

And with Jodie McFadden and Dowds pushing their side out to 0-9 on 56 minutes Donegal were seven clear nearing the closing stages. 

Frank Browne’s team did fire in a good three-pointer before the end through Carr and Anna Jones would also notch a closing over. 

But with the visitors piling forward, Donegal would hit Westmeath on the break in the dying seconds and White’s arrow to the bottom corner sealed a deserving win for her side. 

Donegal scorers: Susanne White 1-1,1f; Katie Dowds 0-3; Nicole Gordon 0-2; Jodie McFadden 0-1; Tara Hegarty 0-1; Eva Gallagher 0-1. 

Westmeath scorers: Vicky Carr 1-1; Anna Jones 0-2,1f. 

Donegal: Clare Friel; Shannon McLaughlin, Abigail Temple Asokuh, Evelyn McGinley; Caoimhe Keon, Nicole Gordon, Tata Hegarty; Roisin Rodgers, Niamh Boyle; Eva Gallagher, Niamh McLaughlin (capt.), Katie Dowds; Susanne White, Katie Long, Jodie McFadden. 

Subs: Shannon McGroddy for Long and Lezza Cunningham for Keon (both 41), Patrice Boyle for E Gallagher (56).

Westmeath: Lauren McCormick; Laura Kiernan, Lucy Power, Lara McCartan; Chloe Kelly, Fiona Coyle, Rachel Dillon; Kelly Boyce Jordan, Vicky Carr; Ashley Ruane, Anna Jones, Caoimhe Clarke McMahon; Karen Hegarty, Leanne Slevin, Tracey Dillon. 

Subs: Sarah Dillon for K Hegarty (28), Meadbh Monaghan for McMahon (37), Mairead Newman for Ruane (50), Sadhbh Gorman for Coyle (57). 

Referee: Ger Canny (Mayo).