HADLEY, Mass. – For the second time in two years, the Mount Everett girls soccer team advanced past Hopkins Academy in the Western Mass tournament – both times by a whisker.
The Eagles survived a penalty kick shootout on Wednesday to earn a 3-2 win in the Class D quarter-finals.
Last year, Mount Everett took a 1-0 win at Hopkins in the regional semi-finals en route to a Class E championship.
On Tuesday, the Eagles scored all of their goals on PKs.
Emily Steuernagle converted two first-half penalty kicks to erase an early 2-0 deficit.
And after a scoreless second half and two 10-minute overtimes, the Eagles and Hawks lined up for the shootout.
“I could not be prouder of our effort today from everyone, and when we got to the PKs I simply just told the girls how proud of them I was for their effort and win or lose we would have nothing to hang our heads about,” Mount Everett coach Joshua King said. “The next question after that was who wanted to kick, and five girls raised their hands and stepped up. Emma Wilson did a great job in saving two huge penalty shots and the rest is history as we prepare for Granby in the next couple of days.”
The second-seeded Rams advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Hoosac Valley on Wednesday.
Mount Everett goes into the semifinal, on a day to be announced, with a record of 9-5-3.
