Penalty shoot-out agony for Raphoe Ladies in Ulster Senior Cup final

RAPHOE LADIES SUFFERED HEARTBREAK in the final of the Ulster Senior Cup as Ballymena took the prize after a nerve-jangling penalty shoot-out in Coleraine.

Raphoe 1 Ballymena 1 (after extra time)

Ballymena win 3-2 on penalty strokes

Richard Tinney’s team were appearing in the final of the competition for the first time, but they were left in tears as Ballymena (pictured above) prevailed in the pressure cooker of the penalties.

Joanne Davis, the Ballymena goalkeeper, was the toast of the Braid girls as she saved from Kimberley Porter, Victoria Wray and Wendy Patterson in the shoot-out.

Raphoe had trailed to an Emma Gillespie goal in the 27^th minute, but the response from the Donegal girls was superb.

They were level within three minutes. Ballymena blocked a short corner move from Raphoe, but couldn’t clear the lines and Leanne Patterson smashed high past Davis to the net.

That came after Raphoe had a penalty flick superbly saved by Davis as she saved Sabrina Barnett’s powerful shot.

Gillespie had fired Ballymena in front with an excellent sweeping finish from a well-worked corner move.

Raphoe enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and in the best of the chances Esther Hume was blocked by Davis.

In the late moments of the first period, it took some courageous defending and heroic goalkeeping to keep Raphoe in it with Lyndsey Tinney and the ‘keeper, Denise McElhinney, standing firm.

Gillespie looked destined for her second goal, but McElhinney made a stunning save.

The tiring legs were evident in a second half that was slightly edged by Ballymena, although the second 35 minutes was without a clear-cut chance.

It was a typically tense extra-time period and, after neither side could break the duck, it was down to penalties to separate them.

There, it was ecstasy for Ballymena and agony for Raphoe.

Raphoe: Denise McElhinney, Arlyne Kilpatrick, Victoria Wray, Lyndsey Tinney, Sarah Boal, Rachel Buchanan (Captain), Wendy Patterson, Sarah Patterson, Esther Hume, Sabrina Barnett, Leanne Patterson, Kimberly Porter, Shannon Porter, Louise Moran, Katy Love.

Ballymena: Davis, McBurney, Morrison, Logan, E. Gillespie, Taggart, McCracken, Duncan, Murphy, C. Gillespie, Young