Otters get past Charlemont

Lyra Macek’s stellar individual effort got the scoring started, and her Four Rivers Charter School girls soccer team added a pair of second-half goals to earn a 3-1 victory over Academy at Charlemont in a River Valley Athletic League contest Thursday afternoon in Greenfield.

The victory closes out the regular season for the Otters with a sterling 9-1 overall record. The team has a first-round bye and will play the winner of the Putney/Eagle Hill game in the tournament semifinals next Thursday. The league championship games are scheduled for Nov. 4 at Stoneleigh-Burnham School.

Macek’s goal helped Four Rivers take a 1-0 halftime lead, as she buried a shot with 15 minutes left before intermission.

Anna Goldstein made it 2-0 in the second half, when she intercepted a Charlemont goal kick and fired the ball back into the net.

Goldstein closed out the scoring for the Otters with another unassisted goal shortly thereafter, staking the hosts to a 3-0 advantage. Charlemont got on the board with a goal on the game’s final game.

Easthampton 2, Mahar 1 — Kasi Marowitz fired a shot that snuck just under the crossbar with 11 minutes, 18 seconds remaining, helping host Easthampton put a major damper in Mahar’s league title hopes thanks to a 2-1 victory in a Pioneer North girls soccer game Thursday night at White Brook Middle School.

Mahar fell to 14-3 overall, 9-2 in the North. The Senators controlled their own fate in their pursuit of a league title, but the loss means Gateway (12-2-1, 9-1-1) can win out and snag the North championship outright.

“It’s disappointing,” Mahar coach Chad Softic said. “We had our league title fate under our control and we gave it away. We played not to lose as opposed to trying to win. We just weren’t assertive enough.”

Things started well for the Senators, as Emma Savoy buried a free kick just four minutes into the game to help her team to a 1-0 lead.

Frances Powers tied it 15 minutes later, and the game stayed even at 1-1 until Marowitz notched the game-winner.

Marie Nottleson made three saves for Mahar, while Easthampton keeper Abby Coleman recorded nine saves.

Mahar closes out its regular season slate Monday night on the road at Athol.

Frontier 2, Hopkins 0 — Natalie Denkiewicz and Jenna Martin each scored in the first half and Frontier knocked off Hopkins, 2-0, in a Pioneer North girls soccer game Thursday night in South Deerfield.

Denkiewicz scored in the 20th minute from Jess Wrisley, and Martin made it 2-0 eight minutes later. Siomara Green stopped one shot for the shutout.

Pioneer 8, McCann 2 — Twelve minutes into Thursday’s game in Northfield, things couldn’t have been worse for Pioneer.

The Panthers, in a game they had to win in order to keep their postseason hopes alive, trailed visiting McCann Tech, 2-0, in the blink of an eye. Pioneer coach Nikki Pullen said she let her players get back into the flow of the game largely on their own.

“I feel like in any other scenario, I’d be yelling or giving feedback but the only thing I could honestly do in that moment was be silent,” she said. “It was one of those things where as much as the start to the game was devastating, if you want it, your performance needs to change.”

Needing two wins in their final two games to earn a tournament berth, the Panthers got on track with a monster second half that saw them score seven times. All told, it was eight unanswered goals to help Pioneer pick up an 8-2 win in a Pioneer South girls soccer game.

“They figured it out,” Pullen said. “We moved some people around and they started playing like a team.”

Pioneer received a boost from stopper Steph Scoville, who moved up to center midfield and ultimately scored the go-ahead goal in the 47th minute to put the hosts up 3-2. Paige Loughman moved up to striker and also tallied, and Pullen lauded the play of the duo in helping jumpstart the offense.

Alina Cecunjanin and Avery Kelton each scored two goals to aid the offensive cause, while Azemina Cecunjanin and Tayla Sadlowski also tallied.

The win has Pioneer at 5-6-4 overall, 3-5-3 in the South with just one game left on the schedule. That would be Monday at Smith Academy, where the Panthers need a win to punch their ticket. Last year, Pioneer defeated Smith Academy on the last day of the season to keep the Falcons from reaching the postseason.

“We’re prepared, we just have to bring the intensity for a full 80 minutes this time,” Pullen said.

Smith Voke 6, Mohawk 1 — Marissa Mayhew and Morgan Roberts each scored twice in the second half as Smith Voke pulled away from Mohawk, 6-1, in an independent girls game Thursday in Buckland.

Smith Voke held a 2-1 lead at halftime but put some distance between itself and the Warriors in the second half.

Ella Sherman and Lizzy Hardy each scored once in the first half for the Vikings. Mohawk’s Lily Wickland-Shearer scored on a penalty kick to cut the deficit in half.

Amalie Rowehl made 12 saves in the loss. 

Boys soccer

Mahar 1, Athol 0 — Jamie Temple scored in the 16th minute on Thursday night and Mahar dealt rival Athol a major blow in its postseason chances with a 1-0 victory in an independent game in Athol.

Temple received a pass from Riley Drew just outside the top of the box and without any immediate pressure by the Athol defense, Temple was able to play a shot off the post and into the goal for the lone goal of the game. Logan Dodge made four saves in the Mahar ( 10-5-3) net to backstop the shutout.

“Our offense has been lackluster for much of the second half of the season,” Athol coach Dave King said.

Athol (8-9-0) must beat Palmer on the road Monday night at 7 in its season finale to clinch a postseason berth. Palmer is currently 9-5-2 overall.

“Every game is winnable,” King said.

Casey Mason made four saves in the Athol goal.

FC Tech 3, Smith Voke 1 — Colin Earle staked host Smith Voke to a 1-0 lead just three minutes into the game on a muffed goal kick, but Franklin Tech recovered with a Jovanni Ruggiano goal in the seventh minute and struck for two more to salvage a 3-1 victory in a Tri-County League contest Thursday in Northampton.

“We righted the ship and came away the way we wanted,” Franklin Tech coach Kurt Richardson said.

Ryan Campbell scored the go-ahead goal in the 18th minute for the Eagles (14-2, 9-0), and Reuben Galvez added some insurance with a 56th-minute strike to make it 3-1.

Garrett Cole, Will Turn and Ruggiano had assists in the win. Grayson Funk made one save, as the Eagles held a 14-2 edge in shots.

Four Rivers 4, Charlemont 0 — Evan Leaf pumped in two goals and added two assists, and host Four Rivers blanked Charlemont, 4-0, Thursday.

Avani Richardson and Muris Lonergan notched the other goals for the Otters (8-1-1).

“I thought it was the best game we played all season,” Four Rivers coach Terry Plotkin said. “Our defense was outstanding. That unit has really come together.”

Stopper Aidan DiLorenzo led a stout defensive effort, and goalkeeper Jonah Goldstein made several big saves to preserve the shutout.

Four Rivers opens its postseason Tuesday at home as the No. 2 seeds in the conference tourney.

GIRLS SOCCER

Easthampton 2, Mahar 1

Goals: (M) Savoy. (E) Powers, Marowitz.

Shots: Mahar 22. Easthampton 9.

Saves: (M) Nottleson 3. (E) Coleman 9.

Frontier 2, Hopkins 0

Goals: (F) Denkiewicz, Martin.

Assists: (F) Wrisley.

Shots: Hopkins 3. Frontier 15.

Saves: (H) Joly 5. (F) Green 1.

Pioneer 8, McCann 2

Goals: (MT) LaCasse, Furlon. (P) Az. Cecunjanin, Loughman, Scoville, Kelton 2, Al. Cecunjanin 2, Sadlowski.

Assists: (P) Scoville.

Shots: McCann 7. Pioneer 25.

Saves: (MT) Reynolds 15. (P) Fuess 2.

Smith Voke 6, Mohawk 1

Goals: (SV) Mayhew 2, Roberts 2, Hardy, Sherman. (M) Wickland-Shearer.

Assists: (SV) Sherman, Roberts, Bryant.

Shots: Smith Voke 18. Mohawk 13.

Saves: (SV) Cyr 10. (M) Rowehl 12.

BOYS SOCCER

Mahar 1, Athol 0

Goals: (M) Temple.

Assists: (M) Drew.

Shots: Mahar 7. Athol 8.

Saves: (M) Dodge 4. (A) Mason 4.

FC Tech 3, Smith Voke 1

Goals: (FT) Ruggiano, Campbell, Galvez. (SV) Earle.

Assists: (FT) Cole, Ruggiano, Turn.

Shots: FC Tech 14. Smith Voke 2.

Saves: (FT) Funk 1. (SV) Doyle 3, Louis Kortmier 3.