Donegal were defeated late on in the All-Ireland semi-final by Meath in Croke Park.
Meath’s 10 minute spell of dominance in the second-half went down to 14 in which they scored six points without reply.
Meath 0-12 Donegal 1-7
Photos by Joe Boland, North West Newspix
Geraldine McLaughlin got Donegal ahead with two great scores but the All-Ireland champions levelled both times through Stacey Grimes, the first from a free.
Niamh McLaughlin then had her side in the lead again with a point and made it even better when Katie Newe fouled Yvonne Bonner in the box.
McLaughlin stepped up for the penalty and fired into the right corner of the net.
Orlagh Lally got Meath’s third point just before half-time as Donegal led by 1-3 to 0-3 at half-time.
But the advantage was soon gone as Vikki Wall scored 20 seconds into the second half and less than a minute later Niamh O’Sullivan pointed.
In a dominant 10 minute spell for Meath, they went from 3 down to 3 ahead.
Emma Duggan got her first score and a trio of Grimes frees saw them go clear.
Yvonne Bonner got Donegal’s first score of the second half and she levelled from play following Katy Herron’s point.
Donegal almost had their second goal when Guthrie’s attempted point went short and Bonner punched over keeper McGuirk but Mary Kate Lynch was on the line to clear.
But Duggan scored three in a row and Guthrie got Donegal’s only point in the final 10 minutes as it ended 0-12 to 1-7.
Donegal: Roisin McCafferty; Emer Gallagher, Evelyn McGinley, Tanya Kennedy; Shelley Twohig, Nicole McLaughlin, Amy Boyle Carr; Katy Herron (0-1), Niamh McLaughlin (1-1); Yvonne Bonner (0-2), Niamh Hegarty, Roísín Rodgers; Deirdre Foley, Tara Hegarty, Geraldine McLaughlin (0-2.
Subs: Karen Guthrie (0-1) for Hegarty (half-time), Susanne White for Rodgers (55 mins)
Meath: Monica McGuirk; Shauna Ennis, Mary Kate Lynch, Katie Newe; Aoibheann Leahy, Emma Troy, Aoibhín Cleary; Máire O’Shaughnessy, Orlagh Lally; Megan Thynne, Emma Duggan (0-4), Kelsey Nesbitt; Vikki Wall (0-1), Stacey Grimes (0-4,1f), Niamh O’Sullivan (0-1).
Subs: Bridgetta Lynch for Nesbitt (47 mins), Orla Byrne for Lally (53 mins), Meadhbh Byrne for O’Sullivan (56 mins)
