Early goals send Arravale Rovers into Munster semi-final

Arravale Rovers 4-9 Dungarvan 1-4

Arravale Rovers advanced to the Munster Club Championship semi-final with a convincing 14-point victory over Dungarvan, laying the foundations with three first-half goals.

Two goals inside the opening six minutes gave the Tipperary side an early grip on this quarter-final, and they carried an eleven-point advantage into the interval. Dungarvan offered greater resistance after the restart, but Rovers maintained control to secure their passage to the last four.

Ciara O’Hora led the scoring with 2-3, while Sarah Ryan contributed four points from play. Sophia O’Grady and Sarah Duggan supplied the other goals, with Molly Price adding two second-half points. All but one point of Arravale’s total came from play.

O’Grady opened the scoring with a goal in the fifth minute, and Dungarvan had little time to recover before O’Hora struck for a second. O’Hora followed with a point to leave Rovers 2-1 to no score ahead inside seven minutes.

The scoring then slowed, but Arravale made another decisive move approaching the end of the opening quarter. Ryan registered her first point in the 18th minute before Duggan found the net less than a minute later, extending the advantage to eleven points.

Sarah Lacey opened Dungarvan’s account with a point in the 20th minute. However, Ryan responded with her second, restoring the eleven-point cushion and leaving Arravale comfortably placed at 3-3 to 0-1 at half-time.

Dungarvan resumed with a pointed free from Ciara Hurley, but Rovers answered through Price and Ryan to move 3-5 to 0-2 clear.

The Waterford side received a lift when Lucie O’Shea scored their only goal in the 41st minute, reducing the deficit to nine points. Any prospect of a sustained recovery was checked within three minutes, however, as O’Hora struck for her second goal.

That reply was a significant moment, immediately restoring Arravale’s twelve-point advantage. Further points from Ryan and O’Hora pushed the score to 4-7 to 1-2 as the game entered its final quarter.

With a commanding lead established, Arravale introduced Lauren O’Dwyer, Rebecca Crosse and Faye O’Dwyer, with Aine O’Connor and Patrycja Marcinek also joining the action late on.

Reagan Keohane added a point for Dungarvan before Price claimed her second for Rovers. Shauna Coakley supplied Dungarvan’s final score, while O’Hora completed her personal tally with a pointed free in added time.

Arravale’s early finishing proved decisive, and their response to Dungarvan’s second-half goal ensured there was no late uncertainty about the outcome. With five players sharing their scores, Rovers finished clear and deserving winners.

Scorers — Arravale Rovers: Ciara O’Hora 2-3 (0-1 free), Sarah Ryan 0-4, Sophia O’Grady and Sarah Duggan 1-0 each, Molly Price 0-2.

Dungarvan: Lucie O’Shea 1-0, Ciara Hurley 0-1 (free), Sarah Lacey, Reagan Keohane and Shauna Coakley 0-1 each.