Soccer

2021-22

Under 15 Boys Soccer

Match 1: Royal School Cavan 2 – 3 St Clare’s College, Ballyjamesduff

Our 1^st match of the U15 season was played in Cootehill against a strong St. Clare’s team from Ballyjamesduff. This was the first U15 game in over 20 months due to the COVID19 pandemic and as such was the 1^st time for nearly all these players to represent the school in football. The Royal were very competitive throughout against a physically imposing Ballyjamesduff side. Indeed, we took the lead when Richard Finlay played the ball through for Byron Magee, breaking from midfield to finish smartly to the net. St. Clare’s pulled the goal back quickly, but once again the Royal went ahead as Brandon Mee rifled the ball home after a mix up in the defence following a Royal corner. At this stage we were well on top, however Ballyjamesduff equalized on the stroke of half time with a fierce shot from 25 yards which went in off the underside of the crossbar.

In the 2^nd half the even contest continued. Defenders Nathan Clarke, Brandon Mee, Adam Keith and Rowan Hislop stuck manfully to their task while the midfielders Daniel Allison and Byron Magee were winning the battle in the middle of the field. Andrew Dancey and Jamie Clarke posed the threat on the wings while Richard Finlay was the main playmaker, sitting just behind the centre forward Andrew Clarke. Oisin Molloy saved his team on a number of occasions but could do nothing about the last goal of the game as the Ballyjamesduff striker found himself through one on one to score the winner. A number of the substitutes came on in the 2^nd half to make a positive impact and the match was a real learning experience for the players to take forward into the season ahead.

Match 2: Royal School Cavan 8 – 1 Monaghan Collegiate School.

Our second U15 match of the season took place on 15^th December in Cootehill where we met our friendly rivals from Monaghan Collegiate School. On the day we had a too much quality and experience in our team and ran out comfortable winners. Jamie Clarke hit the 1^st goal, his 1^st for the school and that was followed up by a 2^nd just after. Nathan Clarke scored from close range to make it 3 inside of 10 minutes. Brandon Mee scored from an excellent Richard Finlay corner, then Finlay himself got onto the scoresheet. In the last 10 minutes of the 2^nd half Byron Magee rifled in a long range effort, captain Daniel Allison scored and finally Andrew Clarke got his second finishing a lovely move to the top corner. At half time RSC made wholesale changes with 9 substitutes coming onto the pitch for the 2^nd half. The game was more competitive in the 2^nd half with Monaghan Collegiate getting a deserved consolation goal.

Match 3: Royal School Cavan 2 – 8 PBS Gweedore

In February 2022 we travelled to Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal to take on PBS Gweedore in the Ulster 15 quarter final. Unfortunately, the Donegal outfit were a much stronger and more experienced outfit on the day, and we struggled to get a foothold in the game from the start. We were playing into a gale force wind in the 1^st half and struggled to get out of our own defensive third. While we held the Donegal lads to 1-0 for the majority of the 1^st half, a quick flurry of goals after the half hour mark left us 5-0 down at half time and out of the game.

With the benefit of the wind in the 2^nd held the Royal came out full of intent. We scored early in the 1^st couple of minutes as Byron Magee rifled to the top of the net from 20 yards out. At this stage we had the opposition pinned in their own half. Unfortunately they scored twice on a quick counter attack to kill of any faint hopes of a comeback. Andrew Clarke dispatched a penalty late in the game but in the end we were beaten by a much better side and we wished them well for the remainder of the tournament.

Under 15 Girls Soccer

Royal School Cavan 1 – 2 Monaghan Collegiate School

The Girls U-15 team had their 1^st match against Monaghan Collegiate School in Cootehill on 15^th December 2021. This was the first time many of the younger players had represented the school and they learned a lot from this experience. The Royal took the lead early in the 2^nd half through Nicole Cassidy but were pegged back and overtaken by two quickfire Monaghan goals. As hard as the girls tried in the closing stages, they couldn’t force an equalizer. The team started with Hannah Richardson in goal who performed really solidly throughout. The back four of Amy Kells, Sinead Chan, Edel Murdy and Blessing Adewumni. They were very compact and gave everything they had throughout the game. Christine Smyth and Aoibheann Mulligan controlled the centre of midfield while Zoe Wilkin and Nicole Cassidy worked tirelessly on the wings. Up front we had a target player in Emma Sonaike and a very busy, effective striker in Sadhbh Woods. Abigail Small, Megan Reilly, Hariett Brady, Lauren Soden and Olga Mulhall all contributed positively from the bench when introduced.

All in all, it was a great match and we are really looking forward to the next one. Thanks to Ms. McGovern for training the team and Mr. Robertson & Luke Allison who helped coach us on the day.

Royal School Cavan 2 – 5 Rosses Community School

The girls made the long trip to Ballyshannon to play Rosses Community School in the Ulster Cup on the 22nd March 2022. Despite the daunting task of facing a much fancied and formidable side from Dungloe in Co. Donegal, it was indeed the Royal School Cavan girls that settled first and indeed took a shock yet deserved lead when Abby McDowell was on hand to finish off an extremely well worked team goal. Despite having a number of further 'half chances' it was the Rosses Community School that showed their killer instinct by scoring two goals with their first two strikes on the RSC goal. However, and with great credit, that Royal girls did not let their heads drop and instead rallied before half time and lethal finisher Abby McDowell struck again for both her and RSC's second of the game to leave the scores level at the break. Further chances came and went for both sides in a very evenly contested encounter, however with the RSC girls tiring and with Rosses Community School able to call upon a number of quality subs it was the side from Dungloe that struck for the vital fifth goal of the game and they quickly followed this up with a further goal to kill the game off. Rosses Community School scored a fifth and final goal with the last kick of the game to leave and unfair reflection on the scoreline in what was a fantastically even game. The RSC girls deserve huge credit for their endeavours and effort in the match. A special mention goes to Abby McDowell & Aoibheann Mulligan who had fantastic matches, whilst younger players such as Sadhbh Woods, Zoe Wilkin & Rebecca Richardson can also be very proud of their efforts.

Royal School Cavan Minor Girls Soccer Team v Rosses Community School, Ulster Cup in Ballyshannon, March 2022

Under 17 Boys Soccer

Match 1: Royal School Cavan 2 – 4 PCC Falcarragh

Match 2: Royal School Cavan 3 - 3 Beech Hill College (RSC won 4-2 on pens)

The RSC U-17 Boys

Royal School Cavan U-17 boys soccer before their friendly match v Beech Hill College, Monaghan, January 2022.

2018-19

Minor Girl's Soccer

The minor girls team is coached by Mr. McHugh and they train every Wednesday evening after school 4 - 5pm. The minor girls’ soccer team were entered into the Ulster Minor League and Cup this year. The team made the long journey to Gweedore for their first game of the season against Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair in December. In an amazing end to end game in which the result could of went either way, the Royal girls fought brilliantly to come back from 4-3 down to come away with a fantastic 5-4 victory. Abby McDowell scored a fantastic hat-trick with Tyana Pratt Clarke scoring the other two goals, one of which was a quite brilliant individual goal.

In their second league match of the season, the RSC girls played a very strong Rosses Community School side from Dungloe in Co. Donegal. Having started the game the much better side, the RSC girls just couldn’t find the breakthrough they deserved and indeed fell behind from corner. Rosses Community school doubled their advantage with 15 minutes remaining, before Abby McDowell responded for RSC with a goal the side richly deserved. Chasing an equalizing goal, it was the girls from Donegal who completed the scoring with a counter attacking goal to complete a 3-1 victory. This result ended the teams run in the Ulster league as they finished second in their group, which was a fantastic achievement for a team without much footballing experience.

Royal School Cavan minor girls soccer team v Rosses Community School, January 2020.

Under-15 Boy's Soccer

The U-15 boys soccer team are coached and managed by Mr. Robertson and train every Thursday evening. They are entered in the Ulster League and Cup within their age category. In their first game they travelled to play Collegiate Monaghan in a friendly, where they had an impressive 3-1 victory having trailed 1-0. Goal scorers on the day were Jamie Griffith, Andres Morris Lucas & Udo Okike. The boys then played their first league game of the season against Bawnboy in Tullymongan. The RSC side put in an excellent showing from start to finish coming away with a comprehensive 6-1 victory, with Jamie Griffith x2, Luke Allison x2, Riordan Bradley & Graeme Garland scoring the goals.

In their second league game, the team followed up their first comprehensive victory with another one, this time against St. Bricin’s, Belturbet. The RSC boys had a very good overall team performance, winning the game 7-0, with Luke Allison, Thomas Wilkin, Archie O’Connor, Andres Morris Lucas x2 & Jamie Griffith x2 amongst the goals. In their final league game, the side travelled to Beech Hill at the start of December. Played in extremely tough conditions, the side had to dig deep to find a breakthrough, and this eventually game when Andres Morris Lucas found the net. Andres soon doubled his and his teams tally, before finding the net a third time to complete his hat-trick. Jamie Griffith added a fourth, and bring his tally to six in four games, as the RSC team ran out 4-0 victors.

The team travelled to Ballyshannon to pit their wits against Ballinamore Secondary School, Donegal, in the Ulster Cup quarter final. On a high from their unbeaten start to the season, it was in fact Ballinamore who settled into the game quicker and had a number of chances to break the deadlock. However the team from Donegal found RSC keeper and captain Obinna Nzewi in inspired form as he made a number of excellent saves to keep the game scoreless to half-time. In the second half a much improved Royal team grew into the match and started to get a grip on the game. They found that much sough after first goal through an excellent strike from midfielder Luke Allison. RSC managed to see out the game with a strong defensive and workmanlike performance.

This Ulster cup semi-final tie saw the Royal team produce a really determined, brave team performance and they were very unlucky to exit the cup on a penalty shootout. PCC Falcarragh were always going to be a stern test, having recently being crowned All Ireland champions at this grade, nevertheless there was nothing between the teams on the day. Falcarragh went into the lead early on following a corner which the Royal failed to clear. The ball was poked home following a mix up in the box. RSC fought back into the match however and their hard work was rewarded just before half time when Emmanuel Sonaike won the ball near the halfway line and went on a blistering run before firing the ball low past the Donegal keeper. Falcarragh hit the front early in the second half again with a thunderbolt strike from 20 yards. Once again, the Royal had to battle back. Aaron Clarke had an effort saved with about 10 minutes to go. Then with three minutes of normal time RSC had an indirect free kick in the Falcarragh area. Elliott Kells’ shot was blocked but Nathan McCracken recycled the ball and put in a great cross which Graeme Garland planted to the bottom corner. This sent the game into extra time where each side had chances. At the very end Emmanuel Sonaike’s shot sailed just wide of the top corner. But time then ran out and the game was to be decided by penalties. Unfortunately, the Falcarragh Keeper saved two RSC penalties and the Donegal side progressed to the final 4-3 in the shootout.

The Royal School Cavan U-15 team capped a great season off in style as they ran out 4-1 winners in the league decider in Cootehill in March against Coláiste Oiriall from Co. Maonaghan,. This was a fitting way for a very talented and committed team to round off their season. The first half was very hard fought with both teams cancelling the other out for long periods. However, when the Royal did hit the front, it was in some style as playmaker Luke Allison struck a stunning free kick to the top corner from 25 yards out. Colaiste Oiriall roared back into the game however and the Royal had to defend several corner kicks. Then the referee awarded the Monaghan side a penalty after keeper Obi Nzewi was adjudged to have taken down a Monaghan attacker in the box. The Colaiste Oiriall captain slotted the penalty home to leave it 1-1 at the break.

Early in the 2^nd half a great ball by Allison released Emmanuel Sonaike through on goal. The striker hesitated a little, but his pressure forced the Monaghan defender to put the ball into his own net. Five minutes later Graeme Garland again exposed the Monaghan defence with a fantastic pass to release Sonaike. This time the striker did not hesitate and coolly lobbed the onrushing keeper from 25 yards. Colaiste Oireall came back really strongly and forced several corners. They were denied a way back into the match when captain Obi Nzewi pulled off an outstanding flying save to prevent a volley hitting the top corner. The Royal were under a lot of pressure at this point but a great break involving Aaron Clarke, Luke Allison and Emmanuel Sonaike saw the latter sweep home the clinching fourth goal.

This was a great win and the lads enjoyed the trophy presentation and celebrations after commiserating with their opponents. On the day the Captain Obi Nzewi led by example while the back 4 of Nathan McCracken, Elliott Kells, Shane Mulligan and Ben Palmer stood firm against some quality Monaghan attackers. In midfield Archie O’Connor & Graeme Garland linked back to front really well while Luke Allison provided the main creativity throughout. On the wings Aaron Clarke was a constant thorn in his marker’s side while Jamie Griffith got through some great work. Emmanuel Sonaike posed a lot of problems for the Monaghan defence which could not handle him. Cathal Doyle and later Udo Okike came off the bench and had a good impact. The squad was completed by Andres Morris, Matthew Hislop, Joshua Mee, David Mitten, JD Okagbare, & Jonathan Hastie who all contributed very well as the season went on. There were several other pupils who were not selected for the final day squad who all played their part in this success also.

Royal School Cavan U-15 boys soccer team, Cavan Monaghan U15 B League Winners 2019/20.

Captains of Coláiste Oiriall & Royal School Cavan with match referee before the Cavan/Monaghan U15 B League Final, March 2020.

U-17 Boys' Soccer

The U-17 boys soccer training takes place every Wednesday evening from 4 - 5.15pm and are they are coached by Mr. McHugh. The team were entered in both league and cup competitions this year. The side played their first league game against a physically strong and excellent Cootehill side. Having shown great character to remain in the game, the RSC ultimately ran out of steam and ended up on the end of a 9-3 defeat. Goal scorers were Eniola Faleti and Nick Palmer x2. Needing a win in their second game against St. Bricin’s Belturbet in order to continue their season, the RSC boys put in a very strong performance to come away with an 7-0 victory. Goal scorers were Nick Palmer with four, Tari Joe Otuma, Eniola Faleti and James Lynch.

In the Ulster Cup, the side were paired against a notoriously strong Pobailscoil Ghaobh Dobhair team from Donegal. This game was played at a neutral venue in Ballyshannon on the second week of January. The Royal started the game in a very determined manner, and largely frustrated their opponents for long periods. The RSC side then took a deserved lead with 10 minutes remaining in the first half when Nick Palmer, who's first shot was blocked and rebounded back to his feet, turned at the edge of the box and fired an unstoppable effort with his left foot high into the net. With the Royal side going through trojan work and leaving nothing out on the pitch, Gweedore hit them with two sucker-punch goals from set-pieces. With the Royal boys searching for an equaliser, they got caught on the counter-attack from a corner and Gweedore found their third goal. However in-keeping with their performance, the RSC boys never drops their heads and were awarded a penalty after a fantastic mazy run from Gabriel Asare, which Nick Palmer dispatched. However with the clock against them, the RSC team just could not find that much deserved equaliser and ended up on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline.

Royal School Cavan U-17 boys soccer team v Pobailscoil Ghaobh Dobhair, January 2020.

Senior Boys' Soccer

The senior boys side got their season off to a brilliant start in early October with an excellent 3-2 friendly victory over a strong St. Pats’ side in Tullmongan. Scorers on the day were Jamie Eccleston, Craig Ebbitt & Nick Palmer. The team followed this up with another friendly fixture against Collegiate Monaghan on the 21st October, however were defeated on this occasion, 4-1, with Nick Palmer scoring the RSC goal. In the first competitive outing of the season, the side traveled to play Beech Hill College in Co. Monaghan in December. The boys put in an excellent overall team performance to come away with a 3-1 victory, with Eniola Faleti, Kelvin McNally & Nick Palmer on the scoresheet.

The side made the long journey to Ballyshannon in early January to play in their Ulster Cup tie against a notoriously strong Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair side from Donegal. The RSC boys travelled without a number of key players due to various reasons and so faced an uphill battle. They produced a spirited opening half where they frustrated their opponents, however went in at the break 2-0 down. Ghaoth Dobhair managed to get a foothold in the game and eventually ran out 5-0 winners on the day. The senior side is managed by Mr. Plunket.

Royal School Cavan U-17 boys soccer before their friendly match v Beech Hill College, Monaghan, January 2022.

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