Donegal ladies overcome Monaghan for a second win in Division 2

Donegal ladies made it two wins from two in Division 2 with a three-point victory over Monaghan in Smithborough.

Susanne White top scored with 1-7, all from frees, while Eva Gallagher continued her form from off the bench last week by hitting two first-half points.

And a stunning goal from Dungloe teenager Ava Caulfield helped James Daly’s side into a 2-5 to 0-6 lead at the break, all but one of the Monaghan scores coming from frees through Eabha Sherry and Chloe McBride.

White added four more frees in the second half in a battle with Sherry to see who could kick over the posts more from dead balls, with Sherry coming out on top in that battle, but a point each from Gallagher and Jodie McFadden ensured Donegal came away with the win as Monaghan ended the game with 14 players.

Eva Gallagher got the first score of the game on three minutes, and from a similar position a minute later, Susanne White’s free dropped short, and Molly Flood could only parry it off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.

Gallagher added another point from play soon after, with Chloe McBride getting Monaghan off the mark from a free.

Amy Garland finished off a fine move for a Monaghan score, but White responded with a free on 15 minutes.

Eabha Sherry and White traded frees, and further frees from Sherry (2), and McBride left the minimum in it on 24 minutes, before Donegal got their second goal.

It came as Feena McManamon played it to Caulfied on the edge of the arc, and the Dungloe woman beat two defenders on the right before firing a looping shot into the top corner of the net.

White added another free from close range, and she almost added another from further out, which dropped short, but Monaghan ended the half with 14 as Alison Gilliland was yellow carded for a high tackle on White as Donegal led by five at the break.

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McBride got the first score of the second half and just Monaghan’s second from play on 34 minutes, but James Daly’s side replied through Kilcar woman Gallagher with a fine score.

Sherry and White exchanged two frees each, and Sherry added two more for her seventh free with a quarter of an hour remaining to leave a goal in it.

Another free, this time from McBride, reduced the deficit further, but again a White free gave Donegal a bit more of a cushion, which was helped when Muireann Atkinson was shown a red card on 54 minutes for a late shoulder barge on Evelyn McGinley.

The Farney ladies didn’t give up however, and they looked to come back. Sherry got a final free for them with 60 on the clock, but substitute Jodie McFadden restored the three point lead with her first touch, as Donegal held out for the win and a second win in the league.

That leaves Donegal second in the table as one of only two teams to win their opening two matches, as they travel to face top of the table Tyrone next week.

Monaghan scorers: Eabha Sherry 0-8f; Chloe McBride 0-4,3f; Amy Garland 0-1;

Donegal scorers: Susanne White 1-6f; Ava Caulfield 1-0; Eva Gallagher 0-3; Jodie McFadden 0-1.

Monaghan: Molly Flood; Áine Loughman, Aine McQuaid, Dervla Cawley; Eimear Traynor, Rosemary Courtney, Alison Gilliland; Jennifer Duffy, Niamh Flanagan; Muireann Atkinson, Amy Garland, Casey Treanor; Chloe McBride, Eabha Sherry, Leanne Maguire.

Subs: Sarah Tierney and Aoibhinn McCormack for Maguire and Traynor (ht), Caoimhe Ward and Kerry Nolan for Gilliland and Cawley (52), Orna McCooey for Loughman (59), Ellen Leonard and Michaela Grew for Garland and Flanagan (61).

Donegal: Clare Friel; Niamh Carr, Evelyn McGinley, Sophie McFeely; Tara Hegarty, Feena McManamon, Ava Caulfield; Clodagh Brennan, Abigail Temple Asokuh; Bláthnaid McLaughlin, Katie Dowds, Niamh Boyle; Susanne White, Eva Gallagher, Ciara McGarvey.

Subs: Cáit Gillespie for Boyle (46), Nicole Gordon and Aoife McDermott for Niamh Carr and McGarvey (54), Jodie McFadden and Ava Walsh for Gallagher and Brennan (60).

Referee: Eddie Cuthbert