RallyNorth.net

Sat, Nov 19, 2016 04:30 PM @ Central Catholic

Team	1st	2nd	Final
Nashoba Regional	0	0	0
Central Catholic	0	2	2

Central completes unbeaten state championship season

Sunday, November, 20 By Kyle Gaudette

LYNN — Central goalie Amanda Fay stood by herself, watching and barking out encouragements as her teammates tried to milk out the rest of the clock.

In those final moments, she was the loneliest person at Manning Field, standing alone in the quiet right end zone as play evolved at the opposite end.

Finally, the ref raised his hand and blew the whistle.

Instantly, Fay was swarmed by jubilant teammates who tackled her to the ground and piled on top. Joyous tears flowed from some faces as the entire team crammed together for an enormous embrace.

Fay, a senior who will play at Boston University next year, as well as her teammates, had done what some very good Central teams had not been able to do since 2010. Second half goals by strikers Elayna Grillakis and Caitlin Regan were the difference Saturday evening in Lynn, as Central dominated play in the final 40 minutes to beat Nashoba Regional 2-0 in the Division 1 state title game — finishing its perfect 23-0 season.

When that final whistle rang through Manning Field, Fay and Central Catholic became champions.

“It’s pure joy,” said Fay. “Obviously we worked so hard for this and it’s such an amazing feeling. I don’t really know how to describe it.”

Grillakis, who scored the first goal of the game midway through the second half, tried to help describe the feeling. ... She didn’t do much better.

“Everything is going through my head!” said Grillakis. “I’m just really excited right now to be honest!”

It was a particularly cathartic moment for Fay and the rest of the Central Catholic seniors who for their entire careers had only known heartbreak in the form of North semifinal losses (two to Lincoln-Sudbury and one to Acton-Boxboro).

But that doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

This was a curse-breaking year for the Raiders, who got rid of their demons by knocking off Lincoln-Sudbury in the North semis and then Acton-Boxboro in the North final.

Now, when this group of Central seniors look back at their high schools careers, their lasting memory will be that as champions.

“It’s so amazing,” said Fay. “I wouldn’t want to leave here any other way.”

For a while, it looked as if Central might fall victim to yet even more heartbreak. The first half saw pretty even play, but the Raiders watched a Grillakis blast hit the top post and two corners that were headed just over the top of the net.

Nashoba never got a great opportunity to put one past Fay, but the threat of giving up a goal and having to play catch-up against a solid Chieftains defense and senior shot-stopper Theresa Don loomed heavy over the Raiders’ halftime huddle.

“I told them we were happy with it being 0-0 because that was definitely not our best half to the season,” said Central coach Casey Grange. “I think that fired them up a little bit. They made a couple of tiny adjustments and we told them to just keep getting the ball out wide.”

The Raiders took to the advice and finally saw it pay off 17 minutes into the second half.

Grillakis took a long pass from Daria Bakhtiari that bounded over one defender and left her teammate with a one-on-one opportunity with the goalie. Don came way out of her net to try to cut off the shot, but Grillakis switched the ball from her left foot to her right and rocketed a curveball to the far right side of the goal.

“Daria won the ball in the middle and then she played me a nice ball,” said Grillakis. “I was kind of near the post of the goal and then I crossed the goalkeeper.”

A few minutes later on a break, Ashley Raphael sent a centering pass from the left side across the goal line to the open foot of Caitlin Regan who finished the job. Even though the Raiders didn’t end up needing the insurance, they were sure glad to get it.

When it was all wrapped up, Central stood without a single blemish. There is no loss or even tie to be found, just a perfect 23-0-0 record.

“It’s pretty amazing,” said Grillakis. “A perfect season just means so much to us. Not a lot of teams can do that.”

She sure has that right.

One thing is for sure, the Raiders can finally take turns using their hands, not their feet, to hoist the state trophy high.