LARNE FIGHT BACK TO SALVAGE A POINT
Larne Women fought back from two goals down to earn a share of the spoils from the Shanes Hill derby with Ballymena United Women at The Showgrounds.
United started brightly, with Shelley Stothers striking the woodwork after 12 minutes while Ellen McClure dragged an effort wide not long after that.
But Stothers wasn't to be denied with just over a quarter-of-an-hour on the clock when she got on the end of a Megan Henry cross to hold off a defender to control the ball and fire past keeper Kate Smith.
Ballymena continued to press and were duly rewarded with a second goal on 34 minutes. Natasha Bamford flicked the ball on from the right for both Stothers and McClure to connect with and direct over the line.
Unfortunately for Stothers her evening ended moments later when she was shown a second caution of the game, reducing the home side to ten players.
The Sky Blues defended their lead until midway through the second half before two goals in as many minutes saw Larne ultimately salvage a point.
They levelled on 68 minutes when Bamford was adjudged to have upended Rebecca Boyce in the box with Amanda Morton confidently slotting home the resultant spot-kick.
Then, barely two minutes after that, Sasha Clare found the net with a superbly executed free-kick on the left side of the box from a tight angle.
Ballymena United Women: Winton, Millar, McCartney, Bamford, Wallace, Stothers, Henry, McClure, Eddis, Burns, Firth subs Manson, Hunter, Doherty, Campbell, McDowell, Hill
Larne Women: Smith, Nellins, Haveron, McErlane, Morton, Boyce, Wilgaus, Dougherty, Johnston, Rebekah Robinson, Clare subs Maguire, Hanna, Morrison, H. Robinson, Rachel Robinson
Substitution 
Substitution 
