Armagh 0-9 Donegal 1-10
Armagh surrendered their grip on the Ulster final to Donegal on Sunday afternoon, losing by four-points in the end.
Shane McCormack’s side were on track for four in a row, but a final quarter surge from Donegal saw it snatched from their graps.
It was a tit for tat match, but the Tir Chonaill ladies pulled away with a goal in the dying minutes of the game.
Armagh weren’t helped by the fact that they had to fight for the final quarter without Aimee Mackin, who picked up an injury.
It was a tricky afternoon for Shane McCormack’s ladies, with the pressure of favouritism weighing heavily on their shoulders.
Playing with a stiff breeze in the opening half, the Orchard County raced into an early 4-1 lead after ten minutes.
Eve Lavery slotted over the first score of the game while Mackin followed with a hattrick of points.
But Donegal began to settle into the game and found their groove to battle right back into contention.
Maxi Curran’s side rattled off six unanswered scores to spring ahead on the scoreboard, 7-4, near the end of the half.
Mackin clipped over the final score before the break, seeing Armagh down by two-points at the interval. 0-7 to 0-5.
Kelly Mallon closed the gap almost immediately after the turnaround, but her effort was cancelled out by the opposition.
Niamh Coleman followed up with her first while substitute Caitriona O’Hagan slotted over the equaliser.
With only a few minutes left, Mallon edged Armagh ahead, but the final few minutes of play belonged to Donegal.
The rattled off the next 1-2 to storm into a four-point lead and there was no way back for the Orchard ladies.
It’s Armagh first defeat of the season, and one they’ll look back on with frustration. But for now, all eyes will be on the All-Ireland series where Armagh face Mayo and Laois.
