The first chance of the game fell to the hosts inside the opening three minutes, as Aoibheann Clancy’s corner took a deflection off Dan Burke, before Maeve Williams got down low to keep the ball out.
It was from the following corner on 11′ that the opening goal of the game came as Clancy’s corner wasn’t dealt with, before 16 year old Halle Harcourt poked home beyond Williams to give the hosts the early advantage.
The Blues looked for an immediate response, and came agonisingly close to finding it on the quarter-hour mark as Jess Lawler narrowly headed Chloe Atkinson’s cross from the right wide of Sanchez’ goal from 10 yards.
Rebecca Watkins had two efforts on goal is an many minutes midway through the half, her first a volley from close range firing just over Williams’ crossbar before he second forcing the blues net minder into a strong low save.
The hosts made it two-nil after twenty-five minutes as Halle Harcourt found her second, tapping home from inside the Blues six yard box unmarked after getting on the end of Maeve Wollmer’s pullback.
Three minutes kater, Harcourt secured her hat-trick, reacting quickest from close-range from Clancy’s initial effort from a free-kick, as the hosts raced into a three-goal lead.
Inside the final ten minutes of the first-half, Lauren Egbuloniu tested Sanchez in the Shelbourne goal as the Blues’ no.9 picked up possession off the hosts defence before forcing the Shelbourne keeper into a stretched save.
Maeve Williams was called into action on 41′, stopping Jess Gargan’s drilled effort from 12 yards, in what proved to be the final action of the first half.
Rebecca Watkins kicked off the action in the second half inside the opening 90 seconds by rattling the underside of the Blues crossbar, as the Blues cleared the resulting ball, Alex Kavanagh rattled the Blues crossbar herself just minutes later for the hosts.
Harcourt became the third player in the second half to hit the Blues crossbar, with her drilled effort from the edge of the Waterford area rebounding back to the Blues’ relief.
As the game entered the final ten minutes of action, astonishing the crossbar was to the Blues’ rescue for a fourth time in the second half as Maeve Wollmers effort came back off the upright and away from danger.
Meadhbh Doherty headed wide from Chloe Atkinsons’ corner kick in the final minutes of normal time, before substitute Sadbh Hartley had found the back of the net in the 92nd minute but the fourth official had his flag up for offside in the build up, as the hosts saw out the remaining minutes of injury-time for a three-nil win against the Blues.
Shelbourne FC: Sanchez (GK), Keenan (46′ Damico), Slattery (C) (56′ Pierce), Hannon (76′ Hartley), Kavanagh (67′ McKinley), Watkins, Wollmer, Gargan, Clancy, Kelly (56′ Graham), Harcourt.
Waterford FC: Williams (GK) (C); Atkinson, Carley, Doherty, D. Burke, Conroy (46′ S. Dumevi); Gornell (63′ O’Donoghue), Lenihan (82′ Malone), Lawler (63′ Bradley; Egbuloniu, Shannon (46′ Norris).
Attendance: 278.
