HIBS GIRLS emerged victorious from the most feisty and drawn-out of under-15 Youth Cup finals over Celtic at Stirling Albion's Forthbank Stadium.
The battle of the two sides may well have been on a par with bygone events at nearby Bannockburn as the two sides fought right to the death, a last-minute Hibs equaliser in normal time setting up extra time before a dramatic penalty shoot-out.
Car
oline Weir ultimately proved the Hibs heroine as the Capital side triumphed 9-8 in the shoot-out, netting two spot-kicks as 24 penalties were required to settle the tie.
Rebecca Zoltie, the inspirational Hibs captain, drove her team with style and verve from midfield.
Had it not been for her imperious leadership, not to mention her glorious 25-yard last-minute equaliser that forced extra time, the Hoops would have walked away with the national trophy.
Such a scenario would have been harsh on Hibs, who, player for player, looked the more skilled and composed side throughout the 100 minutes of play.
Neither side found the net in the opening 40 minutes, though not through a lack of effort.
Siobhan Hunter's 12th-minute piledriver from 20 yards looked to be sneaking into Celtic goalkeeper Zoe McCartney's bottom right-hand corner, but the custodian managed to drop quickly to palm the effort away before smothering the ball at the feet of the lurking Claire Emslie.
The closest Celtic came to a first-half opener was when Kerry Connolly performed a neat sidestep to create space in the box, but her half-volley cleared Hannah Reid's crossbar by some distance.
The fiery head-to-head of the two captains, Zoltie and Celtic's Lyndsey Anderson, was an entertaining feature of the second half, and it was Anderson who was first to make her mark.
Her good work on the left-wing preceded a cut-back from the bye-line into the path of Mel Lambert, who drilled the ball low into Reid's right-hand corner.
Hibs harried and chased the game thereafter. Fern Quinn's volley was cleared off the line by a stubborn Celtic rearguard on 51 minutes as Edinburgh's finest looked to convert their superiority into some form of equaliser. They finally procured that precious goal with just a minute on the clock. Celtic's supporters who, had enjoyed a healthy repartee with some vociferous Hibees in the stands, fell silent after Zoltie dispossessed fellow skipper Anderson in midfield and drove forward before striking the ball low into McCartney's right-hand corner.
In the best opportunity during extra-time, Zoltie set up Kirsty Smith but she shot wide and the tension exclusive to a penalty shoot-out in the final of a football match set in.
There was no hiding place for any of the players, as all 11 who had finished the match on the field were required to step forward and test their nerve.
The score was stuck at 3-3 after five penalties, with Weir, Hunter and Emslie netting for Hibs while Reid saved from Mairead Fulton and Celtic full-back Kirsten McGuire hit the bar.
Four of Hibs' next five spot-kicks were scored, courtesy of Ellen Reid, Rebecca MacPherson, Quinn and Gemma Bartie, but with one miss from each side the score after ten penalties was still level at 7-7.
The goalkeepers then got the better of each other, both scoring, before Hannah Reid saved McGuire's penalty and Weir bravely stepped up. Her penalty, low to the left, met the hand of McCartney as well as the post, but its power took the ball into the net and the cup to Edinburgh.
Hibs coach Matty Hunter said: "I thought we were a wee bit panicky, but in a cup final it's not necessarily about the way you play – just the result matters. We were the better team throughout the game and we're unbeaten all season.
"The girls are aiming to remain unbeaten and win the League Cup and the championship before the end of the season."
Hibs Girls: Hannah Reid, Ellen Reid, Stacey Hutchison, Fern Quinn, Claire Emslie, Siobhan Hunter, Caroline Weir, Anja McConnachie, Kirsty Smith, Rebecca Macpherson, Rebecca Zoltie, Gemma Bartie, Claire McEwan.
Celtic: Zoe McCartney, Kirsten McGuire, Susan Hamilton, Natalie Johnstone, Megan Quinn, Clarisse Park, Rebecca Storrie, Kerry Connolly, Mairead Fulton, Mel Lambert, Lyndsey Anderson, Emma Milliken, Amy McFadden, Demi McCulloch, Ceara MacIntyre, Chloe Craig.
• THE National Day for Girls' and Women's Football takes place at St Johnstone's McDiarmid Park tomorrow. The day kicks off with the under-15 Scotland v Netherlands International Challenge Match at 11.00am, and that is followed by the RAF Scottish Schools' FA Under-15 Scottish Shield between Calderglen High School and Selkirk High School at 1.00pm.
The day ends with the SWF Unite Scottish Cup Final between Hibernian LFC and Celtic LFC at 3.15pm.
The full article contains 821 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
