2020 FAI Women's Cup
The 2020 FAI Women's Cup is the 45th edition of the Republic of Ireland's primary national cup competition for women's association football teams. This edition features clubs exclusively from the Women's National League (WNL), whereas usually non-league teams are involved. The number of teams was reduced due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions also meant that crowds were restricted or prohibited from attending. The competition began on 19 September 2020 with a preliminary round and concluded on 12 December 2020. The final was moved to the Tallaght Stadium from the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which had hosted the previous seven finals.
| Country |  Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|
| Dates | 19 September 2020 – 12 December 2020 |
| Championship venue | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin |
| Teams | 9 |
| Champions | Peamount United (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Cork City |
| Matches played | 8 |
| Goals scored | 23 (2.88 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Saoirse Noonan (2 goals) Stephanie Roche (2 goals) |
← 2019 2021 → | |
The WNL Cup was deferred for the season,[1] but the 2020 FAI Women's Cup was effectively a League Cup, with the nine Women's National League clubs the only participants.[2] Peamount United won the cup on 12 December, beating Cork City in the final.
The Cup holders were Wexford Youths, who defeated Peamount United in both the 2018 and 2019 finals.
Preliminary round
The draw for the quarter-final took place on 29 July 2020. Women's National League (WNL) expansion teams Athlone Town and Bohemians were selected to play in a single match preliminary round, the winner of which was to join the other seven WNL clubs in the quarter-finals.[3][4]
Teams in bold advanced to the quarter-final.
| Preliminary |
|---|
| 19 September 2020 | Athlone Town | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p) | Bohemians | Lissywollen |
| 19:00 GMT | Kellie Brennan  45+3' (pen.) |
Report | Sophie Watters 61' |
Stadium: Athlone Town Stadium Attendance: N/A |
| Penalties | ||||
Zara Lawless  Emma Donohoe Paula Doran  Kellie Brennan |
Rebecca Creagh Ally Cahill Sinead O'Farrelly Chloe Flynn |
|||
Quarter-finals
Teams in bold advanced to the semi-finals.[5][6]
| Quarter-final |
|---|
| 3 October 2020 | Bohemians | 1–3 | Cork City | Coolock, Northside, Dublin |
| 14:00 | Abbie Brophy 60' |
Report | Lauren Egbuloniu 6' Ciara McNamara 18'Nathalie O'Brien 34' |
Stadium: Oscar Traynor Centre Attendance: N/A Referee: Sarah Dyas |
| 3 October 2020 | Galway | 2–3 | Wexford Youths | Galway |
| 18:00 | Méabh De Búrca 19' Jamie Turrentine 64' |
Report | Ciara Rossiter 41' Vanessa Ogbonna 45'Lauren Kelly 85' |
Stadium: Eamonn Deacy Park Attendance: N/A |
| 3 October 2020 | Peamount United | 1–0 | Shelbourne | Newcastle, South Dublin |
| 18:30 | Eleanor Ryan Doyle 13' |
Report | Stadium: Greenogue Attendance: N/A |
| 3 October 2020 | Treaty United | 2–0 | DLR Waves | Limerick |
| 14:00 | Gillian Keenan 66' Aoife Horgan 83' |
Report | Stadium: Jackman Park Attendance: N/A |
Semi-finals
The draw for the semi-finals took place on 9 October 2020 live on RTÉ 2fm.[7]
| Quarter final |
|---|
| 8 November 2020 | Cork City | 2–0 | Treaty United | Bishopstown, Cork |
| 14:00 | Saoirse Noonan 10', 13' |
Report | Stadium: Bishopstown Stadium Attendance: N/A Referee: Clare Purcell |
| 8 November 2020 | Wexford Youths | 0–1 | Peamount United | Crossabeg |
| 14:00 | Report | Dearbhaile Beirne 53' Lauren Kealy  77' |
Stadium: Ferrycarrig Park Attendance: N/A Referee: Paula Brady |
Final
| 12 December 2020 | Cork City | 0–6 | Peamount United | Tallaght, Dublin |
| 15:15 | Report | Roche 46', 52' O'Gorman 76'Duggan 81'Watkins 84'Ruddy 86' |
Stadium: Tallaght Stadium Attendance: N/A Referee: Claire Purcell | |
| Note: Live coverage on RTÉ2 | ||||
References
- O'Hehir, Paul (27 March 2020). "FAI set June 28 target start date for Women's National League". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- "FAI Women's Cup 2020". Women's National League (Ireland). Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- "Draw made for 2020 FAI Women's Cup". Football Association of Ireland. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- "Wexford Youths begin FAI Women's Cup defence at Galway". RTÉ Sport. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- "WFAI Cup: Peamount and Wexford through to last four". RTÉ Sport. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- "Holders Wexford Youths book their place in FAI Women's Cup semis". The42.ie. TheJournal.ie. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- "Wexford Youths vs Peamount United and Cork City vs Treaty United in FAI Women's Cup semi-finals". RTÉ Sport. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.