Cooley Kickhams 2-4 Roche Emmets 0-11

Jennie McCourt gave the performance of her life in Cooley on Sunday morning as Roche made it three wins from as many outings.

The midfielder kicked seven points, including five sublime efforts from play during the second half, as Emmets won a titanic struggle by the minimum.

A victory that was as gutsy as it was deserved, goalkeeper Rebecca Callan was outstanding, producing three fine saves in the second half as the hosts laid siege to the Roche target.

Her kickouts were relieving and often gathered by the equally superb Caoimhe Treanor and Aisling Begley, neither of whom put a foot wrong. Treanor’s driving runs up the field became a feature of the contest, while Begley’s reversion to the half-back line, upon captain Niamh Callan’s injury-enforced departure, proved to be a masterstroke.

Emmets were 0-3 to no-score ahead early in the fixture, despite facing into the swirling breeze, before a looping effort found the net to get Cooley off the mark.

Kickhams are managed by former Roche player Gerard Roe and while they took the initiative during the second quarter, going to the break 2-1 to 0-4 in front having struck a second major in the half’s dying embers, their record of eight wides in the same period will be a source of annoyance.

The visitors were sharp into their stride upon play’s resumption and with McCourt finding space, her strikes into the road-end goal were spectacular – and successful.

Young substitute Lauren Briscoe was the only other registrar for Gerry Curran’s side amid an intense second half, though the battling qualities of the team were there for all to see as the full-back line and goalkeeper bravely kept Kickhams at bay.

Clan na Gael visit Páirc de Róiste next weekend where the girls in blue will once more put their 100 percent record on the line.

Roche: Rebecca Callan; Anna Murphy, Aoife Savage, Aisling Sloane; Kelly Murray, Niamh Callan, Caoimhe Treanor; Jennie McCourt (0-7), Claire McDonald; Ellie Grant, Lauren Meehan (0-1), Aisling Begley; Abi Keenan, Tracey Rogers, Sarah McArdle (0-2, one free)

Subs: Lauren Briscoe (0-1), Ailbhe Ford, Caroline O’Neill

Referee: Paul Finnegan