A cup final tale of penalties and goalkeepers
Villa FC G team that beat St. Saviours on penalties to win the WSFL Mary Ray Under 11H Cup Final at Graun Park. Photos: Paul Elliott.
It was a tale of two goalkeepers in a most dramatic penalty shootout that eventually settled the WSFL Mary Ray Under 11E Cup Final between St. Saviours and Villa at Graun Park on Tuesday evening last as Villa goalkeeper Ewan Power proved to be the hero for the workLAB Connors Park club in their success.
But that didn’t begin to tell half the story of a most remarkable game as the saints gave their all throughout the course of the game and were very unlucky not to win the game in normal time before the incredible spot-kicks ultimately decided the outcome.
Even when that came around, the Ballybeg club looked dead and buried on a couple of occasions only for their goalkeeper Chantelle Stokes to make four unbelievable saves in the shootout, but unfortunately it ended in heartbreak for the young players with Villa captain and netminder Power the hero at the finish.
The 64 minutes (14 minutes extra-time) that went before penalties was just as entertaining with the first dramatics arriving inside two minutes when Villa were awarded a penalty. Jayden Edogiaware was tripped inside the area, and he beat keeper Stokes when blasting the ball to the net from 10 yards.
From that moment it was St. Saviours that took over as their young players came out of their shells led superbly by William Halligan, Sam Byrne Ryan and Tyler Whelan English. Halligan set the tone for the onslaught on the goal with his 8th-minute free-kick well saved by Ewan Power before the same player set up Tyler Whelan English on 27 minutes, but the centre forward couldn’t direct his shot on target.
The young striker Tyler Whelan English was again involved in the action on 39 minutes when he took a pass from Scarlett Cawley, but his right-footed shot was inches wide of the target before the same player ran onto a super Sam Byrne Ryan through ball on 42 only for his shot to go wide of the left-hand post.
St. Saviours did draw level on 44 minutes from the penalty spot when referee Jim Kealy spotted a correct handball as a Villa defender tried to clear his lines, and it was William Halligan that beat Ewan Power from the spot despite the netminder guessing the right way.
There was two big chances for St. Saviours to go on and win the game before extra-time with Sam Byrne Ryan setting up goalscorer Halligan a minute after the penalty, but his effort was just off target before the same player in extra-time was somehow denied by a stunning Power save.
Penalties were highly dramatic with nine of 14 taken missed with the losing keeper saving four times to deny Villa from winning positions after Jake Peterson and Jayden Edogiaware scored for Villa and Sam Byrne Ryan netting for the saints.
Tyler Whelan English also scored for St. Saviours to level the match at 2-2 on spot-kick, but after Ewan Power saved the seventh penalty, he took his side’s winner himself to beat Chantelle Stokes to ensure that Mary Ray would be handing the cup to the captain after a most dramatic finale.
Ewan Power, Hope Dikgale, Aidan Gallagher, Aaron O’Brien, Jayden Edogiaware, Harry Fitzpatrick, James Hearne, Freddie Wakeham, James Kissane, Cein Bailey, Jace Keating, Jake Peterson, David Okojie.
Jim Kealy assisted by Michael Kealy and Stuart Kennedy.
