Mounties Can't Cash In Against Cathedral
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Mount Greylock goalie Margot Besnard isn't afraid to speak her mind. Just ask the official who gave her a yellow card for voicing her opinions too loudly late in the Mounties' game against Cathedral on Saturday. And while her play between the pipes normally speaks for itself, it was Besnard's words that spoke the loudest after the Greylock girls' soccer team was forced to leave John T. Allen field with a disappointing 0-0 tie with the Panthers. After a strong 3-1-1 start to the season, the Mounties have now gone five straight halves without scoring a goal. The last half of Saturday's game, in which Greylock held an 8-0 edge in shots on goal, was particularly frustrating for the Mounties' senior captain.
"It's been a long time since we've scored, and it's definitely a problem," Besnard said. "I think it's obvious to everyone who saw the game, including us, that we were the better team. It's too bad we can't put the ball in the back of the net because we could have won that game 3-0 or 4-0."
Greylock (3-2-2) was OK with its performance in a 1-0 loss at Pittsfield on Thursday. After all, the Generals are currently undefeated in games against Berkshire County teams. The Mounties weren't so pleased, however, with Saturday's outcome against a Cathedral team that entered the game with an 0-7 record. The Panthers do play in a tough Division 1 Springfield League, so they were a quality opponent, but Besnard felt her team could have won the game had it shown a little more urgency from the start.
"It's sad that it takes 60 minutes of not scoring for us to get our intensity up," Besnard said. "We need to figure out how to come out like that when the ball is kicked off, and we haven't done that yet this year. They had two early shots on us two minutes into the game because we were just flat. We need to learn how to come out ready to play."
Cathderal (0-7-1) was the more aggressive team from the start, nearly stealing a goal in the opening minutes when Casey Rooney got through Greylock's backline and fired a shot off of Besnard's hands. The rebound came back to Rooney, who got another good look before shooting the ball into the grasp of Besnard. The Mounties' keeper was busy in the first half, making all four of her saves in the first 40 minutes of play. She came up big with just under 10 minutes to go in the half, when the Panthers' Hannah Potter won a ball in the Greylock box and fired a quick shot from the left wing. Besnard was in good position, however, and jumped high to make the save.
"We've been starting games slow, and it's been the midfield just not being sure with their marks and not getting back," Mounties head coach Tom Ostheimer said. "We had defenders scrambling, and they got a couple of point-blank shots. Thankfully, we have Margot in the net, and she's plays great positioning for a goalie. She kept it a 0-0 game."
Despite being outshot 4-1 early in the first half, the hosts eventually got it going and evened up the shot totals to 5-5 at the break. Greylock had two quality scoring chances in the first half, but senior Alex Majetich was just a little off on her two attempts. She first almost got to a long through ball 10 minutes into the game, but Cathedral goalie Gina Russo (five saves) sprinted out 30 yards from the goal line to knock the ball away at the last second. Nine minutes later, Majetich took a sweet pass from junior Miranda Bucky on the right wing and fired a shot off of the right post.
The Mounties hit another post in the second half when senior
Alexandra DeVeaux clanged a low shot off of the left-corner of the goal. The ball nearly bounced off of Russo's back and went in, but the scrappy keeper was able to gather the ball before it crossed over the goal line. It was just one of several great plays made by Russo in the second half. Despite being just 5-foot-2, Russo was able to snuff out three Greylock corner kicks and several quality crosses by Majetich and sophomore Kelsey Orpin.
"Gina played phenomenal," Panthers head coach Gina Pantuosco said. "That's the best she's played all season. She saved us. She played huge, and she played like a senior. She was All-Western Mass. Second Team last year, and she's kept us alive in many games."
As far as the two shots that hit off the post, Pantuosco had an obvious explanation.
"We're a Catholic school, and we've been saying our prayers."
Another reason Cathedral was able to earn its first point of the season on Saturday was the extra attention it paid to its defense in the second half. The Panthers packed it in, allowing the hosts to earn an 8-0 edge in shots after the break. Russo's solid play and a couple of near misses by the Greylock offense locked up the scoreless draw.
"They packed it in," Besnard said. "They took their best forward and put her back in the defensive midfield. They were just hoping to get away with a 0-0 tie, and they did."
The Mounties should focus on their second-half effort, which included good runs by Orpin and junior Sophie Leamon. The latter almost scored off a chip shot early in the second half, but Russo was able to track it down at the last second. She also just missed on a few good headers, unable to get enough pace on the ball to beat Russo. Orpin really picked it up in the final 20 minutes, working the right wing and setting up several scoring opportunities. She first slotted a ball across the penalty stripe but couldn't find anyone crashing the net. Then, with 11 and half minutes to play, Orpin won a ball on the wing, made a direct run at the net, beating one defender before a second tackled her in the box and forced her into shooting wide left of the goal.
It was the best and final chance for Greylock to find the back of the net.
"It's hard to stay patient and play the way you know you have to play when a team drops five back in the box," Ostheimer said. "They really only had their two forwards up, but we were trying to go up the middle too often. In that situation, we have to try and play the flanks, get the ball outside and run the lanes. We didn't do that enough. We had some good opportunities with crosses, but we're just not capitalizing on them."
"Gina played phenomenal," Panthers head coach Gina Pantuosco said. "That's the best she's played all season. She saved us. She played huge, and she played like a senior. She was All-Western Mass. Second Team last year, and she's kept us alive in many games."
As far as the two shots that hit off the post, Pantuosco had an obvious explanation.
"We're a Catholic school, and we've been saying our prayers."
Another reason Cathedral was able to earn its first point of the season on Saturday was the extra attention it paid to its defense in the second half. The Panthers packed it in, allowing the hosts to earn an 8-0 edge in shots after the break. Russo's solid play and a couple of near misses by the Greylock offense locked up the scoreless draw.
"They packed it in," Besnard said. "They took their best forward and put her back in the defensive midfield. They were just hoping to get away with a 0-0 tie, and they did."
The Mounties should focus on their second-half effort, which included good runs by Orpin and junior Sophie Leamon. The latter almost scored off a chip shot early in the second half, but Russo was able to track it down at the last second. She also just missed on a few good headers, unable to get enough pace on the ball to beat Russo. Orpin really picked it up in the final 20 minutes, working the right wing and setting up several scoring opportunities. She first slotted a ball across the penalty stripe but couldn't find anyone crashing the net. Then, with 11 and half minutes to play, Orpin won a ball on the wing, made a direct run at the net, beating one defender before a second tackled her in the box and forced her into shooting wide left of the goal.
It was the best and final chance for Greylock to find the back of the net.
"It's hard to stay patient and play the way you know you have to play when a team drops five back in the box," Ostheimer said. "They really only had their two forwards up, but we were trying to go up the middle too often. In that situation, we have to try and play the flanks, get the ball outside and run the lanes. We didn't do that enough. We had some good opportunities with crosses, but we're just not capitalizing on them."