ORANGE — With heavy rain dumping down on Woodward Complex and the two top teams in the Pioneer North Division competing against each other, a bad bounce here or there can be the difference in the game.
That was indeed the case Wednesday as both Mahar Regional School and Gateway suffered bad bounces that led to goals, culminating in a 1-1 draw.
“I knew it was going to be a competitive game,” Mahar coach Chad Softic said. “As a coach, you always hope you can come out and blow their doors off. I thought we controlled play for a lot of the game, but at the same time we didn’t make our own breaks, especially on offense. I don’t think we worked hard enough up there to get anything done. I thought the score was indicative of the way the game went in the end.”
The contest nearly went into the halftime break scoreless, but Sienna Moore had other ideas.
The Mahar sophomore midfielder took a pass from Delaney Parker right before the midway break, taking a shot from the left corner of the box. Moore’s blast took a high bounce over Gator goalie Donna Viel before finding its way into the net, giving the Senators (11-1-1, 7-0-1 Pioneer North) the advantage just before the halftime whistle.
With the teams battling for possession midway through the second half, Gateway (10-1-2, 6-1-2 Pioneer North) pounced on the ball and carried it into the final third, where Hannah Duggan blasted a shot into the 18-yard box.
Duggan’s shot looked to be going wide, but it deflected off a Senator defender, going into the net to even the score in the 62nd minute of play.
“Fluky goal,” Softic said. “We saw if from here, if it doesn’t hit anyone it’s wide by 10 yards and it hit one of our defenders and it went it. That’s soccer sometimes.”
After the Gators evened the score, they packed in their defense, keeping just one offensive player up top while not allowing Mahar to generate any chances to take the lead.
The Senators had opportunities, but were unable to capitalize, and the battle of Pioneer North title-contenders finished 1-1.
Softic was not pleased with his team’s offensive play. Mahar controlled the midfield throughout, but once it got into the attacking third, chances were rarely able to materalize.
“Field gets compacted, you have to trust your ball skills and we didn’t do that,” Softic said. “We were panicky and fidgety. We didn’t anticipate mistakes by them and that’s what happens.”
While the Senators controlled possession for the majority of the first half, Gateway was presented with a golden opportunity in the 28th minute.
Gator Erin Harris blasted in a shot from way outside the box. Like Moore’s goal, the ball took a high bounce off the turf, heading toward the left corner of the goal.
Mahar goalkeeper Maddie Lloyd saw the ball go over her head, but raced back and got a hand on it before it went into the goal. The ball ricocheted off her deflection, going off the left post, and took a bounce right in front of the net.
Gateway forward Rachel Walzak was standing in perfect position, with the net empty and the ball right at her foot. But her shot went off the right post, keeping the game scoreless.
“They had a couple opportunities that they never should have had,” Softic said of the Gators. “We didn’t make some good plays there. We were controlling it and they finally get it in our offensive third and they had two great opportunities.”
Wednesday’s game marked the second time the Senators and Gators met this season, with Mahar coming away with a 4-2 victory the first time out back in September. With that knowledge intact, both sides knew what they had to focus on in order to be succcesful in the rematch.
For Gateway, that meant making sure Mahar all-time leading scorer Delaney Parker didn’t get free runs at the net.
The Gators kept a player near her at all times, keeping Parker from getting any uncontested shots off on net.
“They didn’t do anything fancy,” Softic said of Gateway’s defense on Parker. “They didn’t man-mark her. They just were really solid. They did a good job of keeping defenders in front of her. They weren’t overextending themselves so they were giving up that 25-yard shot and anything outside the 18. They did a good job on her.”
For the Senators, the one player they didn’t want hurting them was Harris, the Gators’ speedy forward. To keep her from making an impact, Softic man-marked her the entire contest.
In the first half, it was sophomore Natalie Belloli who followed Harris wherever she went, but after Belloli suffered an injury at the end of the first half, Carra Fitzgerald stepped up. Neither player allowed Harris to make a big impact on the game.
“She’s a tenacious scorer,” Softic said of Harris. “She has a nose for the goal. If you give her any space, she’s deadly. I thought Natalie and Carra were outstanding on her.”
The draw marks the final home game of the season for Mahar, which finishes the regular season with five road games before postseason play begins.
“It’s such a talented Division 3 field,” Softic said. “Every game is a resume builder for us. We have our work cut out for us but it’s what you want.”
Gateway 1, Mahar 1
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Gateway |
0 |
1 |
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1 |
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Mahar |
1 |
0 |
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1 |
Goals: (G) Duggan. (M) Moore.
Assists: (M) Parker.
Saves: (G) Viel 8. (M) Lloyd 4.