TG4 Ulster Senior Championship semi-final: Donegal 3-19 Cavan 1-11
SUSANNE White hit 2-3 as Donegal proved too strong for Cavan in St Tiernach’s Park, Clones yesterday to set up a final with defending champions Armagh in two weeks’ time.
Killybegs’s White was called up as a replacement in the starting line-up for Karen Guthrie, and will have given manager Maxi Curran plenty to think about in terms of team selection for the final after an impressive performance.
Geraldine McLaughlin chipped in with nine points for Donegal, five from frees, with Yvonne Bonner grabbing her side's third goal as she finished with 1-4. Captain Niamh McLaughlin may not have got on the scoresheet but she played a leading role driving her team forward.
Cavan needed to play their best football and they did start brightly with a brace from Aisling Gilsenan putting them 0-2 ahead by the sixth minute.
However, Donegal levelled within two minutes with two Geraldine McLaughlin frees and a minute later they had the game’s first goal when White fired home from close range after she picked up Niamh McLaughlin’s rebounded effort that came crashing back off the crossbar. Bonner brought Donegal’s unanswered tally to 1-3 with a point before Lauren McVeety replied for Cavan with an excellent point.
At the other end, Geraldine McLaughlin got her first point from play before White grabbed her second goal in the 14th minute to put Donegal 2-4 to 0-3 ahead.
Cavan clawed back Donegal’s lead to six with points from Niamh Keenaghan, Geraldine Smith and McVeety (free) but the Tir Chonaill girls finished strong with four unanswered points from Niamh Hegarty, Geraldine McLaughlin (free), Bonner and Katy Herron to lead by double figures, 2-10 to 0-6, at the break.
White grabbed a brace of points either side of McVeety and Gilsenan frees for Cavan as Donegal stretched their lead out to 2-14 to 0-8 by the 41st minute while Bonner’s 45th minute goal put the result well beyond doubt.
McVeety struck home from the penalty spot for a consolation goal immediately after and Ally Cahill added a point to reduce the deficit back to 3-15 to 1-10 with eight minutes remaining. Donegal though, despite making changes continued to add to the scoreboard finishing with four of the final five points, Emma McCrory, McLaughlin (2) and Bonner on target with Aisling Walls bringing Cavan’s tally for the day to 1-11.
Cavan now turn their attentions to the All-Ireland series that gets underway in five weeks’ time while for Donegal it’s a mouthwatering final with champions Armagh as they attempt to land their first Ulster title since 2019.
