LADIES: Sucker punch for Coleraine

The Showgrounds girls found themselves 2-0 down after half an hour.

Coleraine responded well by winning a penalty, but Alison Nicholl couldn't convert from the spot.

Their luck did change, when two goals in the space of three minutes saw the sides going in level at the break.

Lauren Wade made it 2-1 when she latched onto Emma Murphy's rebound.

And the little forward soon got in on the action herself when she lobbed the keeper from just inside the box a minute before the break.

Loughgall pressed Coleraine in the opening minutes of the second half, but Coleraine dealt well with any pressure.

Left winger Lauren Quinn made some good runs down the flanks linking up well with forwards Emma Murphy and Lauren Wade. The midfield battle was being won by Coleraine, with Alison Nicholl and Lyndsay Whiteside controlling things.

Loughgall forced keeper Karri Nicholl into a save in the 68 minute, but at the other end Lauren Wade and Emma Murphy both had efforts on target.

A defensive mix up saw Loughgall grabbing the winner six minutes from time.

Coleraine pushed for a share of the points with Lauren Quinn shooting wide and Lauren Wade forcing the strong Loughgall keeper into a save.

Coleraine Ladies player/manager, Alison Nicholl says that she was proud of her players after the game: "Loughgall have just come down into the Championship from the Premier league, but we held our own, and should have taken something from the game. I thought we played very well, and to be honest I thought that we would steal a winner in the second half.

"Their keeper kept them in the game, our keeper, also had a good game and I felt that Lauren Quinn had a good second half."

Alison went on: "Our pre-season has paid off, the girls are much fitter and it showed as the match got near the end. We travel to Dromore next Wednesday night, and this is a game we need to take points from. Hopefully our luck will change."

COLERAINE: K Nicholl, B Naylor, S Nicholl, C Brown, E Harkness, B Ward, L Whiteside, A Nicholl, L Quinn, E Murphy, L Wade.