Thomas McNamee with a roundup of all the action from the opening day fixtures of SuperCupNI 2024 Girls’ Tournament at Antrim and Newtownabbbey.
The girls’ section of SuperCupNI saw three Premier League giants taking to the fields around Antrim and Newtownabbey.
In the Premier section, reigning champions Northern Ireland defeated last minute replacements Athlone Town at Dixon Park, the Danielle McDowell-Tuffey’s side running out 5-1 winners against a spirited and hard-working Athlone outfit.
In the other Group B match at Chimney Corner, Wolves drew with Galway United. Galway took the lead on the 53rd minute with a strike from Katie Barrett, but that lead lasted a mere 60 seconds with Holly Appleby equalising and that was how the game ended.
In Group A, Premier League giants Aston Villa were held to a 2-2 draw by Surf Select at Mossley. While in Rathcoole, Manchester United marked their debut in the girls’ section with a 3-0 win with Pixie Bradley grabbing a brace and Poppy Holt also in on the goalscoring action.
In the Junior section, there were one win for Northern Irish sides and two victories for American regulars. Surf Select were 3-1 victors against Larne at Dixon Park, while the South Belfast YL select were 5-1 winners against Crusaders at Rathcoole. FC America were also comprehensive winners as they saw of Linfield at Mossley.