RallyNorth.net

Clippers one win shy of capturing state title

Thursday, November, 15 By John Shimer
Staff writer

Newburyport girls soccer coach Robb Gonnam does not call her the "energizer bunny" for nothing.

Just when legs on the field at Quincy Memorial Stadium appeared to be looking a little heavy last night, there was Taylor Bresnahan running hard to set up the dramatic game-winning goal over Norwell in double-overtime in the Division 3 state semifinals.

Newburyport will play for the state championship against Bromfield Saturday (11 a.m.) at Cawley Stadium in Lowell. Bromfield, a Central Mass. representative, advanced by beating the West's Lee, 3-1, on Tuesday.

Two minutes into the second overtime of last night's game and the scored locked, 1-1, Bresnahan won a 50-50 challenge right at midfield but was tripped up on the play. However, she stuck with it, got knocked down a second time, won the ball again, and then made a brilliant pull-back turn to cut around a third defender and create space.

With a numbers advantage, Bresnahan then found an open Laura Muise, who drew the defense to her in the middle of the field. Muise made the final pass to a wide-open Maggie Mahoney on the left side of the arc at the top of the box, and Mahoney's blistering shot to the right side of the net was true.

"Boy, I tell you those two (Mahoney and Bresnahan) really put our team on their shoulders this entire tournament and especially tonight," said Gonnam. "Taylor (Bresnahan) was leading the effort, it was really a refuse-to-lose mindset the entire way."

The game nearly played out as an exact replica of last year's Division 3 semifinal matchup between Newburyport and Norwell. Like last year, Newburyport was first to open the scoring with a goal three minutes into the second half. Off a throw-in, Muise found an open Avery Cullinan on the right side of Norwell's box. Cullinan then sent in a terrific searching cross, freezing Norwell's keeper and finding Mahoney's feet. Her first touch was inside the 6-yard box, and the only thing left to stop it was the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

The South's version of the Clippers | Norwell | had a tough time mustering any sort of a dangerous attack in the second half as Gonnam put Colleen Coviello back to outside left defense. She shut down much of the combination play Kyle Smith and Jennifer Cronin were able to do in the first half.

The lone corner Norwell had the entire game, though, it capitalized on. A beautifully played cross right into the danger zone, in between the back post and the 6, went directly to Jill Cammett. With a solid height advantage, she was easily able to win the header and tie the score, 1-1. Newburyport recovered to own most of the possession in the second half in Norwell's half of the field. But the last touch was never there, and the game went into overtime.

After one back-and-forth period, Mahoney's deadly accuracy in the second frame sent the North's version of the Clippers into pure euphoria.

Additional stories:

• Newburyport unflappable in its mission for state title