Pope Francis Takes Title from Spartans in PK Shootout
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Pope Francis defeated Monument Mountain 1-1 (3-1) in a penalty kick shootout to claim the Western Mass Class B championship on Sunday at Berkshire Community College.
The Spartans battled through a defensive first half, took the lead in the second half and appeared poised to pull off the upset before Pope Francis found a late equalizer. Neither team could find a winner in extra time, sending the championship to penalties.
Pope Francis controlled possession in the opening 10 minutes, comfortably moving the ball and doing a nice job switching the field. Monument Mountain spent much of the first half defending in the middle third, looking to turn interceptions into counterattacks.
The first big chance came in the 12th minute when Pope Francis sent a dangerous free kick across the face of goal, but no one could get on the end of it.
Monument did well defensively, but struggled to connect its passes in the final third. The Spartans finally found some sustained pressure midway through the half when Lucca Hernandez got a good shot off, only to have it blocked and collected by the Pope Francis keeper before Monument could follow up.
Calvin Cooney came up with a pair of important plays to keep the game scoreless, first smothering a shot from Pope Francis after a nice flick inside, then coming off his line to intercept a chipped through ball.
The teams went into halftime locked at 0-0.
Pope Francis continued to apply pressure early in the second half, earning three consecutive corner kicks and coming close with a header that was deflected wide.
The Cardinals continued to push, winning a free kick just outside the box, but the attempt sailed just wide.
Monument Mountain finally began to find its footing going forward, and the breakthrough came in the 53rd minute.
After winning a free kick in a dangerous position, Sean Collins sent the ball over the keeper's head and into the back of the net to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead with 25 minutes remaining.
Monument nearly doubled its advantage moments later when another dangerous free kick forced the Pope Francis keeper to punch the ball away. Mason Whiteman collected the clearance cleanly off the volley, but his shot struck the crossbar.
The momentum began to swing in Monument's favor as the Spartans looked to catch Pope Francis on the counterattack.
Pope Francis responded by attacking with more purpose, and the Cardinals finally found the equalizer in the 67th minute to level the score at 1-1 with 13 minutes remaining.
Pope Francis looked like the more likely team to find a winner late in regulation. Just before stoppage time, the Cardinals had a good look from the top of the box, but Cooney came up with another big save to keep the Spartans alive.
Cooney continued his outstanding performance in extra time, denying Pope Francis after a misplaced back pass gave the Cardinals a dangerous opportunity.
Neither team could find a winner through extra time, leaving the championship to be decided by penalty kicks.
Monument Mountain went first and converted its opening attempt, with Pope Francis answering to keep the shootout even.
The Spartans were unable to convert their next three attempts, while Pope Francis continued to find the back of the net to secure a 3-1 victory in the shootout and claim the Western Mass Class B championship.
Both teams now turn their attention to the state championship tournaments, where each went into Sunday ranked near the top of their respective divisions: Pope Francis No. 2 in Division 3 and Monument Mountain No. 2 in D4.