Two first-half goals condemned Letterkenny Rovers to defeat in the FAI Youth Cup this afternoon.
Letterkenny Rovers 0 Stella Maris 2
By Chris McNulty at the Aura Centre
Abasse Camera and Lorcan Dunne netted as Stella Maris overcame Anthony Gorman’s Rovers.
Stella Maris are one of Irish football’s most notable nurseries with John Giles, David O’Leary, Ronnie Whelan senior, Eoin Hand, Stephen Carr and Keith Andrews among those to have come through the ranks.
Stella, also the schoolboy club of Eamonn Dunphy, booked a berth in the next round as Camera, on 25, and Dunne, on 35 minutes, gave them the edge at a cool Aura Centre.
Camera riffled in after a corner wasn’t dealt with by the Rovers rearguard. Camera seized on the ball just outside the area and, with the home defence static, fired beyond Jonathan Pearson.
Gavin McGee had curled a free-kick just over the top moments before the breakthrough.
McGee drew a fine save out of Kaylen Rice, the Stella Maris goalkeeper, soon after as a cross-cum-shot forced the visiting netminder to tip over from beneath his crossbar.
Stella doubled the lead when Dunne rose to flick a header over Pearson and leave Rovers at the foot of a mountain.
Oran Winston had a deflected effort fly over while James Kernan looked set to pull one back for Rovers, but a goal-bound header was taken off the line by team-mate Nathan Plumb.
Stella centre-back Jake O’Dare headed wide from another set piece in the dying minutes of the game, but the heavy lifting had already been done.
Letterkenny Rovers: Jonathan Pearson; Oran Winston, Kealan Dunleavy, Thomas Keys, Gavin McGee; Conor O’Donnell, Kieran Tobin, Jonathan Coady, Dylan O’Brien; Nathan Plumb; James Kernan. Subs used: Caolan McConnell, Adam Yissau, James Gallagher.
Stella Maris: Kaylen Rice; Alex Bonari, Ciaran King, Jake O’Dare, Brooklyn Vodo; Jack Doyle, Josh Keegan, Aaron Williams; Cian Cavanagh; Abasse Camera, Lorcan Dunne.
Referee: Marty Quinn.
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