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After a “slow” season individually, by her own admission, Stephanie Roche was delighted to be brought to life on the biggest stage when her two-goal salvo led Peamount United to a 6-0 win over Cork City in the FAI Cup. female. final.
The 55-time cap for the Republic of Ireland scored Peamount’s first goal less than a minute before half-time at Tallaght Stadium, before adding a second and then setting up the third for Aine O’Gorman to finish off with poise.
The eventual six-goal victory meant the club ended a two-game losing streak in the final and took home the cup trophy for the first time since 2010.
On top of that, he sealed a league and cup double for James O’Callaghan’s team.
“It’s been a bit of a slow season for me,” Roche admitted after his Man of the Match display.
“I’ve come out with little complaints, a broken rib and things like that, so I was happy to have a series of games before the final and to be confident in my own ability.
Stephanie Roche gives @peamountutd 1-0 lead at Tallaght Stadium. #FAIWomensCupFinal pic.twitter.com/EzFZFSbcGu
– RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) December 12, 2020
“It’s just being in top shape and being ready. I’m already looking forward to next season, getting going right and being in top shape all year long.”
With Ireland head coach Vera Pauw undoubtedly an enthusiastic observer of the day, Roche added that the performance was not about sending a message regarding returning to the international scene: “No messages are needed. I just want to do my own stuff on the field, playing with a smile on my face and enjoying football. “
The 31-year-old’s double came after a cautious first half with few chances and led to a second-half win for Peamount.
But Roche felt that one goal was all it took to calm the nerves and help propel the team to their best form for the rest of the second half.
“Once we scored, we knew it would flow,” he said.
Stephanie Roche Packs Her Corset To Do It @CorkCityFCWomen 0-2 @peamountutd. #FAIWomensCupFinal pic.twitter.com/mpZVplRCpX
– RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) December 12, 2020
“We just had to create a few more chances and luckily we did and managed to get the goals.
“Cork is a very well organized team, the coach has them playing in the right way and they have good individual players, so we knew that if we gave them a chance and scored, they would sit down and make it difficult for us to enter as well. which was a cautious first half as a cup final always is.
“But the second half, we showed the quality of the players we have and we got the goals we needed to win.”
With the double achieved, Roche said that moving forward in the Champions League was the main goal for 2021, having narrowly lost to Glasgow City in the qualifying rounds.
“Next year hopefully we will try to go one step further. We were very unlucky against Glasgow, I think we played very, very well and losing on penalties was not pleasant, but that is definitely in our sights for next time. season., “she said.
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