Glentoran won their fourth consecutive Irish Cup with a 2-1 victory over Sion Swifts in the final at Windsor Park.
Captain Jessica Foy opened the scoring with a long-range free-kick and Northern Ireland international Joely Andrews added a well-taken second to give the Glens a 2-0 half-time lead.
Tara O’Connor-Farren pulled one back for Sion on 88 minutes but it was too late to mount a comeback.
It was a 10th win in 11 Irish Cup finals for Glentoran.
The victory also completed a cup double for the east Belfast outfit after they won the County Antrim Cup earlier this season, with Sion having won the League Cup.
It was Sion who got off to the brighter start with Kerryanne Brown and Caorise Doherty looking to press the holders.
However, it didn’t take the Glens long to find their rhythm as they began to put the Sion defence under pressure, with efforts from Kerry Beattie, Andrews and Kelly Bailie.
Foy opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a spectacular 25-yard free-kick into Jennifer Currie’s top right-hand corner to put Kim Turner’s side in the lead.
Things went from bad to worse for the Swifts in the 33rd minute when Andrews ran on to a pinpoint pass from right-back Sarah Tweedie and showed great composure to fire high into the net to double the Glens’ lead before the interval.
Sion had chances to level before half time, with the Strabane side going close in the 40th minute but defender Aimee Neal could not direct her header on target from a Brown corner.
Caoirse Doherty had their best chance of the half but, after a neat one-two with strike partner Cora Chambers, she dragged her effort wide from 12 yards out.
Glentoran had a lot of possession in the second half as they went in search of a third and had opportunities to extend their lead, with Carragh Hamilton hitting the bar from 25 yards and Beattie somehow blazing over.
Glens’ keeper Ashleigh McKinnon produced the save of the game in the 84th minute when she had to be at full stretch to stop Naomi McLaughlin’s strike from the edge of the area after Bailie failed to clear the ball.
There was still time for late drama as substitute O’Connor-Farren showed great awareness and predatory instincts to poke home in the 88th minute to give her side hope, but it was heartbreak for the County Tyrone outfit as the green, red and black ribbons were placed on the Challenge Cup once again.
