Glentoran secured the Women's Challenge Cup with a penalty shootout victory over Cliftonville at Windsor Park, with Kelly Bailie scoring the decisive spot kick in her final match.
Cliftonville started the season finale on the front foot, with Kirsty Mc Guinness' deflected shot narrowly wide. As the half progressed, both teams cancelled each other out, with the Reds enjoying more possession while the Glentoran defence dealt with any threat. Charlotte Havern, who recently earned her first senior Northern Ireland cap, was involved throughout, but Vicky Carleton unluckily blocked a Caitlin Mc Guinness header before it could reach goal. Naomi Mc Laughlin had two chances after the restart, but both sailed over the crossbar.
Chances remained few and far between. In the 68th minute, Carleton was gifted a great opportunity by Caitlin Mc Guinness but could not steer her effort on target. Danielle Maxwell failed to convert good build-up play, and Mia Moore fired just wide after noticing Maddy Harvey-Clifford was off her line. In the final seconds of additional time, Ellie Scott made a super save to deny Toni-Leigh Finnegan a late winner.
The shootout went to the wire. Jess Foy netted the opening penalty before Caitlin Mc Guinness missed her spot kick. Demi Vance and Carleton both failed to convert, while Aimee Kerr and Finnegan made no mistake. After Faye Loughan and Anna Rose Robinson exchanged penalties, Bailie ended her career in style with a powerful winning effort.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing