GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 28 – June 20, 2015 | Page 11

finals in 2014 – Celtic Cowboys
captain Ronan Lehane can only
see further growth ahead.
“The improvement in the last
four years has been outrageous to
say the least,” he quipped before
looking ahead to the fall. “The
Texas championship is as strong
as it has ever been and I believe
we are ready to make an impression this year at the NACB finals
in Chicago.”
EPIC BATTLE AND FIRST WIN

Game 2 was the Ladies A final,
with Austin and Dallas ladies
battling it out to lift the Irish
American Society Cup. The Ladies games have been very close
over the last two years and this
year’s round-robin games were
Austin ladies in possession. Photo: Brendan O’Sullivan/Austin Celtic Cowboys.
no different with the minimum of
margins separating the sides. The
final lived up to its billing with wonderful defending
WHITE-KNUCKLE TIME
and scoring throughout..
Austin opened the second half on fire again, with two
Austin’s ladies A team squared off against Dallas in
quick points and a second Nicole Styre goal to deepen the
the hottest part of the day, each team carrying a win
lead. Dallas lobbed in a goal, followed by a quick point
from their two close-fought matches leading up to the
to keep the game from running away altogether, and the
June 6th final. Dallas opened the scoring with an early
teams renewed their exchange of points to leave the score
point and the two team’s wrestled tit-for-tat for the first
at 2-14 to 1-10 with 12 minutes left to play. After more
fifteen minutes, with several Austin shots going just
back and forth, a Dallas goal muscled by Maddie Morris
wide. After Dallas briefly took the lead at 0-3 to 0-2,
with five minutes to go spurred on a white-knuckle push
Austin’s offense came roaring back with three consecuto the finish, with Austin narrowly holding on for their
tive points, a clinical left-footed goal, and yet another
first Texas championship victory on 2-15 to 2-14. Conpoint—each from a different player. By halftime, Dallas
tinued improvements in the ladies game in both Austin
had eked out two more points to leave Austin ahead,
and Dallas was evident in the Ladies Final as 15 different
1-6 to 0-5.
players got on the score sheet across both teams.

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