SHEFFIELD, Mass. – Moments after the Mount Everett girls soccer team fell behind, 2-1, midway through the second half, Emily Steurernagle took control.
She took control of the ball in her team’s half of the field, carried all the way down to the edge of the visitors’ 18 and slid a shot inside the far post to even the score.
Then she took control of the game by scoring the next two goals to complete the natural hat trick and send the Eagles on to a 5-2 win in the preliminary round of the Division 5 State Tournament.
Allison Steuernagle had a goal and an assist, and Chevelle Raifstanger scored a goal as Mount Everett (9-5-5) came back from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to earn a date in Monday’s Round of 32 game at fourth-seeded Mount Greylock (16-2).
Emily Steuernagle said she knew it was a big moment as she dribbled the ball more than half the length of the field to get the tying score.
“All I could see was the goal,” she said. “All I wanted was a goal.
“We were down, and that’s the time when we turned around. That’s the moment we found the intensity we needed to win.”
That intensity led to four Mount Everett goals over the next 19 minutes to put the game out of reach and give the Eagles their highest goal total of the season.
Early on, it looked like Mount Everett would struggle to score even a couple of goals.
The hosts controlled play for about the first 10 minutes, keeping the Herons locked into their end of the field. But Mount Everett could not use their advantage to create any really dangerous opportunities against Rising Tide keeper Lucia Ellis (11 saves).
Instead, in the 21st minute, the Heron’s Leighton Fenyus converted a free kick from about 22 yards out to give her team a 1-0 lead that it held going into half-time.
Mount Everett coach Amanda Colpack, who was filling in for the out-of-town Joshua King, said Friday was not the first time the Eagles have been able to shake off a slow start.
“I think our second half is generally our more productive half for sure,” Colpack said. “We start out a little slow. But you never give up on these girls. They’re there until the end, and they’re gonna make it work, and they’re gonna do what they’re gonna do.
“From last season to this season, it’s been a bunch of overtimes and penalty kicks and true excitement. They put their heart into everything, and they make the games fun and worthwhile.”
Five minutes into the second half, Mount Everett’s Leslye Bautista-Cruz chipped a ball from midfield to the top of the 18, where Allison Steuernagle took it away from a drawn out Rising Tide keeper and directed it to Raifstanger in traffic. Raifstanger took one touch to push the ball into an open net and tie the game, 1-1.
Eleven minutes later, the Herons managed to get a ball past Emma Wilson (four saves) for the second time to again take a one-goal lead.
But it lasted just 1:06 before Emily Steuernagle scored the first of her three goals.
Her second score came in the 62nd minute off a corner kick from the left-wing side that found its mark and gave the Eagles their first lead of the game at 3-2.
She said that she does not get a lot of goals directly off the corner. The first of the year for the Mount Everett senior came at a great time.
“I usually get a cross,” she said. “That was kind of nice. … I don’t really know [what the secret is]. I just kind of aimed for the 6, and it curved.”
Five minutes later, Steuernagle’s third goal was more intentional as she lined up to take a free kick from about 30 yards out and delivered a shot that curled under the crossbar to make it 4-2.
The Eagles’ fifth goal came with about five minutes left. Again, it started with Emily Steuernagle in the corner. This time, Allison Steuernagle headed the goal home to give her team a three-goal cushion for the first time since an Oct. 13 contest against Lee.
On Monday, Mount Everett get another chance against a Berkshire County foe – this time Mount Greylock, who the Eagles have not played since the all-Berkshire “Fall 2” season of the spring of 2021. That time around, Mount Everett earned a 1-0 win in Sheffield. This time, the winner goes to the D5 Sweet 16.
“I think it will be a tough game,” Emily Steuernagle said. “But if we battle, and if we pass and if we do the things we need to do, it’s manageable.”
