USGAA Finals 2022- Chicago
On the weekend of August 19th - 21st, 4 clubs travelled from the foggy city to the windy city to represent the Western Division. Five teams in total were sent, three Senior, one Junior A, and one Junior B.
On the Friday, Fog City Harps Junior B ladies and Sean Treacys Seniors set the tone for the weekend, with Fog City Harps coming out on top of a tough battle with Dallas, and Sean Treacys with an impressive win over Setanta San Diego.
The mid-western heat proved difficult for the Bay Area players, but none the less, both teams played in style and kept motivation high.
Saturday brought more excitement and also some disappointing losses. Ploughing through the humidity, Fog City Junior Bs stepped up once again and came out on top of Delco Gaels, securing them a spot in the final. Clan Na Gael Junior As were also quick to secure themselves a place in the final, with a strong finish over Austin Cowboys.
Next up were the Fog City Seniors. Through the torrential rain and relentless heat, the ladies pulled off a performance of the season and booked themselves a spot in the final after an immense battle with Charlotte.
Cú Chulainn Camogie Seniors were next to take the stage, but with a team full of dual players with tired legs and the ever pressing heat, they fell just short to a fresh New York Liberty Gaels side.
Na Fianna Seniors kept up their unbeaten streak and had a strong win over Galway Boston, and Sean Treacys battled out a nail biting 70 minutes against Chicago Padraig Pearses, and after making the come back of the weekend, they fell just one point short, which ended their USGAA Finals journey on a bitter sweet note.
Never the less, the show went on, and the Western Division went into Sunday with 4 finals ahead of them.
Fog City Junior Bs started Sunday morning with an immense battle with an overwhelmingly strong Pittsburg side. However, the girls battled until the end, but came out short of a Junior B title.
Clan Na Gael Junior As took the stage next with relentless rain for 60 minutes straight. They dug deep and after a great display of football, they took home a well deserved Junior A cup.
As the Clan Na Gael final was ending, the Fog City Seniors were warming up for their final against Chicago St Brigids. On a water soaked pitch, the girls had a messy but strong start, taking the lead in the first 20 minutes. However, after a tragic injury to their star wing forward Aisling Doherty in the 20th minute, the Fog City ladies found it hard to come back, and fell short at the final whistle.
Na Fianna then finished off the day on a high, with an impressive win over Chicagos Windy City, and topped off their season with yet another well deserved cup.
All in all, the Western Divison brought home 2 rightly deserved cups, and produced an impressive display of skill and teamwork over the course of the weekend. As always, the 4 clubs celebrated in style together, which was a great showcase of how strong our division is on and off the field.
Congratulations to Clan Na Gael and Na Fianna on their wins.
We look forward to next years USGAA Finals in Denver, Colorado!
