Kentstown player facing a hectic schedule home and away
It's certainly going to be a hectic few days for Kentstown Rovers player Lauryn Grier as she prepares to help her club qualify for the WFAI u-18 Cup final on Sunday with a tough away test in Galway.
The Kentstown girls, who play in the Dublin-based Metropolitan Girls League, face a long journey to play Cregmore Claregalway in the last four of the competition on Sunday, but that trip is not as far as Lauryn Grier's trip back to Ireland from Spain.
Lauryn played for the Republic of Ireland Women's U17 side today as they drew 2-2 with Switzerland in the first of two friendly games in Castellon, Spain, this afternoon.
The Irish girls bounced back from 0-2 down to score through a Carla McManus penalty in the 67th minute and a Heather Payne equaliser five minutes later.
The fixtures in Spain this week will help the Irish girls prepare for their UEFA Elite Qualifying Round test in March when they travel to Serbia to face the hosts, Hungary and Scotland vying to secure a place in this summer's finals in the Czech Republic.
'For us this is a great result. The Swiss players train together all the time and are in school together so they get to work together far more often than our players,' said the head coach Dave Bell.
The team will play another friendly against the Swiss on Friday and after that it will be a case of heading for home for Lauryn.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND - Erica Turner, Lauryn Grier, Sadhbh Doyle, Tyler Toland, Tiegan Ruddy, Alannah McEvoy, Megan Mackey, Doireann Fahey, Carla McManus, Eabha O'Mahony. Subs - Aisling Spillane for O'Mahony 49 mins, Taylor White for Fahey 65m, Roisin McGovern for Grier and Gillian Keenan for McManus both 68m.
KENTSTOWN ROVERS PANEL FOR SUNDAY'S SEMI-FINAL
Ava Foley, Alison O'Sullivan, Tara Bergin, Ava O'Brien, Abbie Dennis, Aisling Flynn, Beibhinn Hickey, Keighleigh Cooper, Megan Ryan, Lauren Ryan, Lauryn Grier, Lauren Collier, Margaret Leonard, Susie O'Rourke, Niamh Farrell, Niamh O'Sullivan Ava Carroll, Petra Reilly, Phillipa Watters.
Manager - Peter McLoughlin
Coaches - Vinnie Moore & Fintan Cooper