Ballymackey Women advanced to the last 16 of the Leinster Football Association Women’s Junior Cup with an emphatic 6–1 victory away to a strong Maynooth Town side in Kildare.

The visitors were dealt an early setback when Maynooth struck in the second minute, capitalising on a bright start that saw Ballymackey under pressure in the opening exchanges. Despite seeing less of the ball initially, Ballymackey carved out promising chances through Amber DeLewis and Christine O’Keefe, both of whom went close to levelling the game and signalled what was to come.

The equaliser arrived on 13 minutes, with Aoibhin Delaney slipping a perfectly weighted pass through to O’Keefe, who made no mistake at the second time of asking. The goal settled Ballymackey, and with Thia McCarthy working tirelessly in the holding midfield role, Delaney and Kate Cavanagh began to dictate play in central areas.

Cavanagh then threaded another incisive through ball for O’Keefe, who coolly finished to give Ballymackey the lead. The home defence struggled to cope with the relentless runs in behind from O’Keefe, DeLewis, and Stephanie O’Sullivan, as well as the creative supply from Delaney and Cavanagh.

DeLewis added Ballymackey’s third to create breathing room, and from there the attack fully clicked into gear. Both O’Keefe and DeLewis completed first-half hat-tricks, sending Ballymackey into the interval with a commanding 6–1 advantage.

There were no further goals in the second half, with Ballymackey’s defence adopting an uncompromising approach that limited the hosts to very few clear-cut opportunities. At the other end, the Maynooth goalkeeper was instrumental in preventing Ballymackey from extending their lead, producing a series of excellent saves in one-on-one situations.

It was an impressive overall display from Ballymackey, though the final scoreline was somewhat harsh on a talented and youthful Maynooth side. The Leinster Football League outfit showed plenty of quality, but Ballymackey’s experience and game management ultimately proved decisive.

Emma Nolan delivered a strong performance at full-back, while Chloe Whyte was a dominant presence at the heart of the visitors’ defence. Player of the Match honours went to Kate Cavanagh, who produced a complete midfield display—dictating the tempo in possession and contributing tirelessly without the ball.

Team: Darra Bourke, Emma Nolan, Nicole Ryan, Karen Hogan, Chloe Whyte, Thia McCarthy, Kate Cavanagh, Aoibhín Delaney, Stephanie O Sullivan. Subs Gillian McKenna, Shauna Egan, LilyKate Kenneally, Ava O Rourke.