The Enniscorthy Ladies First XI secured a 2-0 home win over Railway Union on Sunday, following, their 3-1 victory over Corinthians the previous day. 

The match opened with some great interlinking play between Enniscorthy’s Ciara Kelly and Hannah Graham followed by some extremely fast runs by Laura O’Leary down the right wing, instantly putting the Dublin side’s defence under pressure. However, after a quick break down the centre, Railway Union were awarded a penalty corner. The home defence, though, under the guidance of goalkeeper Norah McGinty, stood firm. 

Enniscorthy, despite the rigours of the previous day’s game, were a constant threat, and shut down any Railway danger. Darting runs by Hannah Sweeney into the right corner allowed Enniscorthy to distribute the ball out to the wings, opened up space to attack, while in midfield Leah Chapman succeeded time after time in breaking down the opposition’s attack with strong reverse tackles, allowing the team to move the ball further up the pitch. 

Enniscorthy’s attack finally managed to produce a penalty corner which was followed by a penalty flick for the Wexford side. Laura Smith stepped up to the mark and with great composure planted the ball in the bottom right corner to make the score 1-0.

Railway Union produced a strong counterattack, and moved the ball quickly around the pitch. Aoife Mahon, worked closely with Susannah Doyle to stem the tide. Enniscorthy then played a very attacking game, won many consecutive long corners, from which forwards May Wickham and Caoimhe Larkin managed to make many circle entries, keeping the ball in the final quarter of the pitch. The ball was then passed to Hannah Graham, who carried it up the line and passed to Nancy Dunphy, she moved the ball past a defender and took a shot on goal which went  wide. Railway then earned a penalty corner of their own, Laura Smith clearing on the verge of half time. 

Following the restart both sides competed strongly for possession and the ball was moved all around the pitch. Centre back Julie Watchorn controlled the distribution of the ball brilliantly , this allowed the Wexford side to retain possession for long periods. A series of long corners for both sides meant that the play was constantly changing direction. Sonja Rynhart intercepted a number of passes in the centre of the pitch, moving the ball to Larkin on the wing who controlled the ball excellently and moved towards the circle. After some clever play between Kelly and Wickham on the right side of the field, the Enniscorthy women found themselves winning another penalty corner.  A direct shot on goal from Rynhart found the net and doubled the host’s lead.

The remainder of the game saw the home side under pressure, Railway Union attacked strongly. Aine O’Brien soaked up a considerable amount of pressure on the left side of the field, moving the ball quickly to experienced midfielder Chapman who then resumed attacking play. A long corner for Enniscorthy and a shot into the circle from Hannah Graham after a run along the baseline was well defended by the visitors. Enniscorthy were then awarded another penalty corner which despite the front lines best efforts, was put wide. The final few minutes of the game saw the home sides defensive unit working hard to  keep control of the ball, an outstanding defensive effort so far this season, having only leaked one goal. 

Ahead of the weekend visit to ninth-placed Genesis, Enniscorthy remain the only unbeaten side in the division, with a two-point lead over Muckross who have played a game more, and six points ahead of third-placed Suttonians, who have a game in hand.

Squad: Nora McGinty, Sonja Rynhart, Aine O’Brien, Hannah Graham, Leah Chapman, Ciara Kelly, Hannah Sweeney, Laura Smith, Julie Watchorn, May Wickham, Caoimhe Larkin, Aoife Mahonnoon, Hannah Graham, Laura O’Leary, Nancy Dunphy