Brave Roscommon come up just short

Mayo 1-13 

Roscommon 1-12

Roscommon’s U-16 ladies footballers were denied Connacht glory as Katie Hughes’ injury time point helped Mayo seal a three in a row of provincial crowns.

The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for a Roscommon side who emptied the tank on a sweltering day for football.

They led this game 1-12 to 0-11 after 54 minutes but Mikayla McLoughlin’s goal set up a grandstand finish as Mayo, who won the All Ireland U-14 Platinum title in 2023 and reached the U-16A All Ireland final last year, showed their experience to grind out the win.

Mayo started the quicker with Katie Hughes and McLoughlin (free) helping the winners enjoy an early two point lead. However, once Roscommon beat the Mayo press they looked dangerous and when Katie Canning won her side’s restart and combined with Laura Glennon to tee up Amy Rogers, the St. Ciaran’s clubwoman rattled the net.

A Sarah Meghen score moved Roscommon two up but Tommy Keane’s side were held scoreless for the next 13 minutes as Mayo kicked four on the spin. Even when Glennon ended the scoring drought, efforts from McLoughlin and Siofra McGuinness pushed Mayo 0-8 to 1-2 in front.

Roscommon ended the half in blistering fashion as they kicked five points in the last three minutes of the half. Glennon and Rogers kicked two each while an Anna Kelly effort helped Tommy Keane’s side lead 1-7 to 0-8 at the interval.

McLoughlin grabbed an early brace to level the game but Roscommon produced key stops in defence as they slotted over five of the next six scores.

The outstanding Glennon started the scoring surge with a brace while Rogers kicked three classy scores of her own. However, Mayo refused to panic as Aoibhinn McNamara cut her side’s deficit to three before McLoughlin tied the game with a smartly taken goal.

Then Hughes stepped up to ensure Roscommon’s quest to win their second ever Connacht U-16A title fell just short.

**Full report in Tuesday's Roscommon Herald**