Raphoe started the game strongly and were back to displaying the swift movement of the ball that they are capable of doing. With the combined speed and talent of Zara Tinney and Leanne Patterson, Raphoe were putting the KV team under severe pressure.
Victoria Wray and Sabrina Barnett were finding openings from defence, to place balls up to the forward line of Jasmine Tinney, Lisa Smyth and Amy Wauchope, but unfortunately when inside the “D”, Raphoe were unable to capitalise on any of the chances that fell their way.
Against the run of play, it was Club KV who took their opportunities best and opened the scoring about 20 minutes in to the game. KV had been awarded a penalty corner for a foul committed in the Raphoe circle.
As the set piece played out, a shot on goal was stopped by Barnett with her body, which seen a penalty stroke being awarded against her.
Heather Humphrey, Raphoe’s netminder, managed to get a touch on the ball, but it wasn’t enough to stop the KV Captain from converting her stroke and giving her team the 1-0 lead.
Raphoe pressed hard to try and find their way back into the game, with the best chance falling to the forward line when Leanne Patterson sent a rifling pass across the penalty spot.
Patterson had made an excellent run down the right side, weaving around a number of tackles. She looked up, spied her players and placed the perfect pass through, but unfortunately neither Smyth or Tinney managed to get the ball stopped or directed towards the goal.
Raphoe went in 1-0 down at half-time, but the Raphoe players were confident that if they continued to work hard both on and off the ball, that they would find the backboard in the second half.
Both teams came out strong in the second half, with very little between them for the opening ten minutes and the majority of play and battling happening between the two 25 yard lines.
Zara Tinney was unlucky not to score, when she sent in a powerful shot from just inside the circle, only for the quick reaction of the KV keeper who managed to knock the ball wide of the post.
At the other end of the field, Humphrey had very little, if anything to do, in the second half – resulting from the firm defence in front of her, marshaled strongly by Wray and a great performance from Julie Wilson, who was player of the match.
As the last fifteen minutes of the game approached, Raphoe’s fitness started to show and they had more of the attacking play. With regaining dominance of the ball again, Raphoe’s confidence increased and their equaliser came through the quick thinking of Lyndsey Tinney.
Tinney was quickest to react when Raphoe won a long corner, she spotted an unmarked Wray who collected the ball just outside the 25-yard line. Wray sent the ball low and hard into the circle, where Lisa Smyth was on hand to direct the ball into the goal.
With now being back on level footing, Raphoe continued to press hard in search of a winning goal, and they thought their luck was in when with nine minutes left on the clock, the KV goalkeeper was green carded (2-minute sin-bin) for deliberately kicking the ball outside of her circle.
However, the KV skipper, stepped into the role of “kicking full back”, and was fearless when it came to stopping any attempts that Raphoe had on goal during the two-minute spell.
The game ended 1-1 and Raphoe will be happy to have secured a draw away from home, against a tight opposition.
After the weekend’s games in Senior One, Raphoe have slipped down to second spot, leaving them two points behind Omagh, who had a 1-0 win over Armagh.
However, Raphoe do have a game in hand, and with 11 games left, there is still a lot to play for.
Next week the ladies are at home against Portadown, with a 1pm push back at The Royal & Prior School.
Team: Heather Humphrey, Julie Wilson, Sabrina Barnett (Captain), Victoria Wray, Janice Nelson, Zara Tinney, Lyndsey Tinney, Leanne Patterson, Lisa Patterson, Lisa Smyth, Jasmine Tinney, Amy Wauchope, Rebecca Wauchope and Sarah McErlean
