Orioles again fall on penalty kicks
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WESTFIELD - For the second straight year, the Belchertown girls soccer team's season ended with penalty kicks.
The Orioles allowed a two-goal halftime lead to slip away before falling 3-2 to defending sectional champion Wahconah Regional in the Western Massachusetts Division 2 title game Saturday at Westfield State College.
With the game tied 2-2 after 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods, the third-seeded Warriors scored on all five of their penalty kicks to three for Belchertown.
The No. 8 Orioles finished the season at 12-8-2 after playing in their sixth western Massachusetts championship game in seven years. They won in 2003 - when they were state champions - and 2004, but lost last year in the sectional quarterfinals, also on penalty kicks.
"It meant a lot for us to get back here," Mogavero said. "The girls played hard and played well. We just lost to a better team today."
Wahconah (15-3-2) advanced to the state semifinals, where it will face the central Massachusetts champion at a time and place to be determined.
The penalty kicks started with a score by Darcey Sullivan (two goals) for the Warriors. Then Wahconah goalkeeper Becky Battaini stopped
Lianne Messier of Belchertown.
Alexis Stockwell, Brittany McDonald and Jordan McConnell scored for the Orioles in the next three rounds, but so did Jordan Schnopp, Kelsie Dumas and Sara Hamilton for the Warriors. When Jessica Budaj beat Belchertown goalie Sam Sugrue, the game was over.
Wahconah "did a great job converting their PKs," said Mogavero. "All five finished, and I give them credit for that."
He added, "You'd like the kids to end it in overtime or regulation, but you can't keep playing."
"I got some fingertips on the last one and the first one, but I couldn't get enough on them," said Sugrue, who made six saves.
"They tucked it inside the post, and I just couldn't get there fast enough," she added. "They found their corners and their pockets."
Orioles forward Katherine Goodale had the only shot on goal for either side in the two overtime periods. Though much of the play was in the Belchertown offensive end, Sullivan made a couple of hard charges that were knocked away by Oriole defenders.
Belchertown took a 2-0 lead with goals roughly seven minutes apart in the first half. Goodale set up Brittany McDonald on the far post with a corner crossing feed from the right side. McDonald's redirection squirted through Battaini (three saves) for the game's opening tally with 12 minutes, 56 seconds left in the half.
Then at 6:10, Cate Taras sent a crossing pass from the right corner which eluded the defense and came right to freshman Julia Beech, who fired a high shot past Battaini for the two-goal cushion.
"We didn't have many chances in the first half, and we scored two goals," Mogavero said. "We actually played better in the second half, and didn't score any."
The Warriors came out charging in the second half and evened the score after just five minutes. Sullivan scored her first goal at the 19-second mark. Schnopp set her up right down the middle, and Sullivan blasted it home from 15 yards.
Sullivan then tied it with 35:03 remaining on a free kick from the left side. The ball squirmed through the defense and into the net.
"In the beginning of the second half, no one was expecting that," said Sugrue.
"Actually, we did a great job" defending Sullivan, said Mogavero. "The first goal was just seconds into the half, and the second was a free-kick goal and wasn't in the run of play."
It rained for most of the game, including a period of downpours. The field held up well, but the balls appeared to be slick.
"It wasn't too bad, but if it was drier it would have been better," said Sugrue. "But they scored because of the placement of the balls."
"The conditions affected both teams," said Mogavero. "It was a bit of a sloppy game on both sides because of the rain. Both teams had trouble clearing the ball, but both teams had to deal with it."
It was the final game for Belchertown seniors Sugrue, McDonald, Messier, Olivia Pare and Rebecca Hamel.
"They've all been varsity players since freshman year," said Mogavero. "They put in the hard work and dedication. They are all team players. It was unfortunate we weren't able to walk away with it today."
