An unchanged starting-eleven was selected by Gary Hunt for this afternoon’s clash against Bohemians at the RSC from our last outing a fortnight ago away to Shamrock Rovers, as the Blues looked to build on that 1-1 draw in Tallaght.
Chloe Atkinson flashed across her cross from the right on 9′, just missing Jess Lawler at the back post, as the Blues looked to threaten early on.
The visitors created their first real effort of the game after twenty-five minutes, with Savannah Kane turning on the edge of the Blues area before firing wide of Williams’ goal.
Just before the half-hour mark, Fiana Bradley almost broke the deadlock with a stunning opener, flicking the ball beyond her defender before her lobbed effort over Rachael Kelly in the Bohemians goal clipping the crossbar.
Moments later, it was Alan Muprhy’s side who came fractions away from finding the opening goal, with Aoife Fennell heading wide of the Blues goal from a set-piece.
The game continued to open up, with chances at both ends, as Chloe Atkinson tested the hands of Rachael Kelly in the Bohemians goal, after being played through on goal by Fiana Bradley.
Neither side could be separated at the break, with both defences on top form to cancel each other out, and that pattern continued early into the second-half as Maeve Williams pulled off a stunning finger-tip save to deny Savannah Kane from close range just minutes into the second period.
At the other end, Fiana Bradley called Rachael Kelly into action, seeing her low effort well saved after getting on the end of Dan Burke’s inch-perfect through ball.
Hannah O’Brien was next to come close to finding the opening goal, seeing her effort from inside the Blues area fire over Williams’ crossbar, as the game continued in the same fashion as the first-half.
O’Brien rattled the Blues crossbar with a header just seconds later, getting on the end of a free-kick delivery from the right, as the Blues let off a sigh of relief with the second ball headed wide by Aoife Fennell at the back post.
And that pressure paid off for the visitors as Alex Devoy found the breakthrough just before the hour mark, getting on the end of Aoife Brophy’s cross from the right deep inside the Waterford penalty area to give Alan Murphy’s side the lead.
However, that lead only lasted eight minutes for the visitors as Chloe Atkinson evaded her defended down the Blues right, finding Bradley inside the six-yard area who poked home to get us back on level terms.
And the Blues momentum didn’t stop there, as on 71′ we found the lead through substitute Issy Walsh. Rachael Kelly in the Bohemians goal lost the flight of a high ball in from the right, as Walsh had the simple task of tapping into an empty net to give us the lead for the first time in the game.
The drama continued, as with just five minutes of normal time remaining, substitute Jane Smyth found an equaliser for Bohemians, cutting in from the left before curling into the bottom corner of the Blues goal to get the Dubliners back on level terms, as both sides had to settle for a share of the points.
Waterford FC: Williams (GK) (C); S. Dumevi, D. Burke, Doherty, Conroy; Lenihan, O’Donoghue, Lawler; Atkinson, Bradley, Mahony (62′ Walsh).
Bohemian FC: Kelly (GK) (C), Maher, Donnelly, Power, Brophy, Kane, Fennell, Glennon (65′ McEvoy), Devoy (78′ Smyth), McCabe, O’Brien (65′ McKevitt).
Attendance: 172
